Taxable Talk

That's the question that Joe Francis, founder of Girls Gone Wild, must answer. Francis already faces tax charges; he's accused of hiding income through the use of foreign accounts and over $20 million of improper deductions on his corporate tax returns.

So what's another lawsuit? The Wynn Las Vegas Casino accuses Mr. Francis of not repaying $2 million of a $2.8 million loan. Mr. Francis is arguing that he has agreements so that he didn't have to repay the loan.

No trial date has been set.

As I've said before it seems that strip club owners and tax evasion go together hand-and-hand.

Curt D. Kosow owned Bare Elegance, a gentlemen's club in Pittsburgh's "Strip District." (No, I'm not making that up. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story uses that name.) He was tried for allegedly distributing cocaine (he was acquitted of that charge) but he was found guilty of failing to pay income taxes. He represented himself after going through 11 attorneys.

Mr. Kosow received some bad news during sentencing. His motion to reduce his sentence for diminished mental capacity was denied but his sentence was extended for obstructing justice during his trial. He'll spend 41 months at ClubFed—but things could have been worse. Mr. Kosow attempted suicide at the end of the trial but survived.