Pornhub admits profiting from 'sex trafficking', pays 256 million yen in fine and accepts monitors

Pornhub's parent company, Aylo (formerly MindGeek), was accused of profiting from pornographic videos posted on Pornhub without consent through coerced sexual acts.Aylo pled guilty and was fined $1.8 million (approx. It was reported that they reached a settlement with the authorities on the condition that they pay 256 million yen (256 million yen), and the prosecution was postponed.

Eastern District of New York | Pornhub Parent Company Admits to Receiving Proceeds of Sex Trafficking and Agreees to Three-Year Monitor | United States Department of Justice

This lawsuit stems from the fact that a porn production company called GirlsDoPorn (GDP) was indicted in 2019 for ``deceiving and coercing young women into appearing in sexual videos without their consent.'' As a result of this trial, several GDP executives were convicted of sex trafficking.

In connection with this case, then-MindGeek Aylo was indicted in 2020 on charges of knowingly receiving proceeds from GDP that were derived from sex trafficking.

According to court documents, Aylo received requests to remove videos from multiple female victims between 2016 and 2019, and in 2017, several women who appeared in GDP videos filed a lawsuit against the production company. I knew that.

However, Aylo relied unconditionally on the evidence of consent provided by GDP, failed to independently verify the information, and did not remove the video in question until the conclusion of the GDP trial in 2019. In addition, the official channel of GDP was left alone until 2019, and the official channel of a pornographic site called GirlsDoToys (GDT), owned by the same operator as GDP, was not deleted until 2020, prosecutors pointed out.

On December 21, 2023, Aylo pled guilty to charges of engaging in illegal financial transactions involving the proceeds of sex trafficking and agreed to pay the state $1,844,952.83. . The terms of the agreement also include having an external monitor for three years and paying money to victims of GDP, and if Aylo does not fulfill the terms of the agreement, it will be illegal again. He will be charged with involvement in fraudulent financial transactions.

Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said: 'This deferred prosecution agreement will allow Pornhub's parent company to disclose videos posted by criminals who coerced young women into performing sexual acts without their consent. We will hold them accountable for hosting the video and intermediating the payment for the video.'

James Smith, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's New York Field Office, said, ``For profit, Aylo turned a blind eye to the complaints of victims who were tricked and coerced into participating in illicit sexual acts, thereby making personal gains.'' All companies involved in sexual exploitation will be held responsible for the emotional pain and fear of their victims. Today's hearing will help the victims in this case move forward with their lives. I hope that a sense of justice will be brought about.'