Three 'Bumfights' Producers Plead Guilty in Calif.
from Yahoo News
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Three young men who produced the brief Internet sensation "Bumfights" pleaded guilty on Friday to paying homeless men to trade blows, charges that could send them to jail for a year.
Ryan McPherson, 19, Daniel Tanner, 21, and 24-year-old Zachary Bubeck -- who were accused of persuading homeless people to fight in front of a camera in exchange for cash, food, liquor, and hotel rooms -- each pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to promote illegal fighting.
A fourth defendant, 21-year-old Michael Slyman, pleaded guilty to the same charge in March and is scheduled to be sentenced next week.
After a preliminary hearing in January, a San Diego Superior Court judge dismissed more serious charges against the four defendants, who have also been sued for $100,000 by two of the homeless men who starred in the "Bumfights" videos.
A San Diego attorney representing Bubeck has vowed to have the lawsuit dismissed, saying that "bad taste is not actionable" and that the homeless men participated willingly.
More than 300,000 of the tapes were reportedly sold on the Internet for $19.99 each, and a Web site (
www.bumfights.com) was still promoting the series on Friday.
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I'm all for prosecuting these people.
They deserve criminal sentences.
For once, people who produce mind-poison get what they deserve.
Anyone want to defend their "right to free expression"?