The Brief
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- The founder of the GirlsDoPorn website, Michael James Pratt, has been sentenced to 27 years in federal prison for sex trafficking.
- Pratt pleaded guilty to using force, fraud, and coercion to recruit women for his adult videos.
- Pratt was a former FBI most wanted fugitive who fled the U.S. in 2019 and was arrested in Spain in 2022.
SAN DIEGO – The founder of a defunct California-based porn website was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison on Monday for sex trafficking.
What we know:
Michael James Pratt, a native of New Zealand, founded the now-defunct GirlsDoPorn website in San Diego.
He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino to 27 years in federal prison for one charge of sex trafficking and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking.
Pratt and his co-defendants used false modeling offers to recruit women, many of whom were teenagers, and then allegedly plied them with alcohol and marijuana before having them sign contracts they were not allowed to read.
Some victims also claimed they were sexually assaulted and held against their will.
In a civil lawsuit filed in 2019, 22 women claimed they were victimized by fraud and breach of contract.
A judge ruled in favor of the women in 2020 and issued a $12.7 million judgment against Pratt and two co-defendants, Matthew Isaac Wolfe and Ruben Andre Garcia.
Garcia was sentenced to 20 years, Wolfe to 14 years, and cameraman Theodore Gyi to four years.
Timeline:
2019:Â Pratt and others were charged with sex crimes in San Diego after a civil lawsuit was filed against them. Pratt fled the country.
2020:Â A judge ruled in favor of the victims and issued a $12.7 million judgment against Pratt and his co-defendants.
2022:Â Pratt was arrested in Madrid after being on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list. His co-defendant Matthew Isaac Wolfe pleaded guilty in 2022.
2024:Â A federal judge sentenced Matthew Isaac Wolfe to 14 years in prison.
June 2025:Â Pratt pleaded guilty in a San Diego federal court.
September 2025:Â Pratt was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison.
The other side:
While the civil case and criminal convictions have put an end to the GirlsDoPorn empire, a statement from a victim who asked to remain anonymous stated, “The fall-out from the videos spread to every part of my life like cancer, and that cancer remains to this day, making it virtually impossible for me to start a new life.”
Their statement goes on to say, “Matthew Wolfe stole my life, and it wasn’t just my life. He stole hundreds of lives. What kind of price do you put on a life? Mr. Wolfe deserves a jail sentence that accounts for each and every life he has stolen.”
The Source:Â This report is based on public records from a San Diego federal court, including the criminal charges, plea, and sentencing of Michael James Pratt and his co-defendants. The information also draws from the outcome of a civil lawsuit filed by victims, as well as official statements from law enforcement, such as the FBI, regarding Pratt’s time as a fugitive.