Backroom Casting Couch Lawsuit: Criminal Cases and GirlsDoPorn Overlap

There is no major civil lawsuit against Backroom Casting Couch itself. The Scottsdale, Arizona pornography site drew criminal charges in 2011 when its main recruiter was indicted on child sex offenses, but the sprawling civil judgment and federal sex trafficking convictions most people find when they search for a Backroom Casting Couch lawsuit actually belong to a separate San Diego operation called GirlsDoPorn. The two sites used similar deceptive casting tactics, which is why they get confused, but the legal cases are distinct.

The Criminal Cases Tied to Backroom Casting Couch

Backroom Casting Couch operated out of the Scottsdale area and featured an anonymous on-camera performer identified as Eric Whitaker. Its main recruiter was Antonio Adrian Gonzalez, who ran modeling fronts called Mayflower Modeling and Photos by Gonzo to find women for the site.

Gonzalez was arrested in June 2011. Court documents cited an April 2010 incident at his Tempe residence involving a 17-year-old girl, and Gonzalez reportedly admitted to police that he used social media to recruit girls and knew some were underage. He was charged with six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, three counts of sexual conduct with a minor, and one count of furnishing obscene materials to a minor.1Phoenix New Times. Backroom Casting Couch Turns to Craigslist After Top Recruiter’s Kiddie-Porn Indictment

Law enforcement conducted a SWAT raid on Whitaker’s residence on June 19, 2011. He was not charged. One contemporaneous report noted, “Whitaker remains a free man — for now.”2Phoenix New Times. Backroom Casting Couch Porn Site Recruiter Arrested on Kiddy Porn Charges Nothing in the available record shows Whitaker was later charged.

A separate figure connected to the site, Kevin Kelsch, was arrested in August 2012. Kelsch, described as an associate and rumored recruiter who operated a company called Hexed Media, was booked on a felony charge of unlawful recording in Paradise Valley, Arizona. He was accused of secretly recording a 19-year-old ex-girlfriend during sex using a hidden camera disguised as a phone charger, then allegedly offering her $10,000 for her silence after she threatened to go to police. Prosecutors initially returned the case to Paradise Valley police for further investigation.3Phoenix New Times. Backroom Casting Couch Associate Kevin Kelsch Arrested, Accused of Secretly Recording Sex With Ex-Girlfriend

Why Searches Return GirlsDoPorn Results

GirlsDoPorn was a separate site run out of San Diego by Michael James Pratt. Both operations lured women under false pretenses to appear in pornographic videos, so coverage frequently blurs them together. The lawsuit, the multimillion-dollar judgment, and the federal sex trafficking convictions that dominate search results all belong to GirlsDoPorn, not Backroom Casting Couch.

The $12.8 Million Civil Judgment

In 2016, twenty-two women filed a civil fraud lawsuit against GirlsDoPorn and its operators in San Diego Superior Court. After a 99-day bench trial, Judge Kevin Enright ruled on January 2, 2020, and awarded the plaintiffs roughly $12.8 million in compensatory and punitive damages, or about $300,000 to $550,000 per plaintiff.4Ars Technica. GirlsDoPorn Owners Hit With $13 Million Judgment for Fraud and Coercion

The judge found the defendants used fake Craigslist ads for clothed modeling work, falsely promised anonymity, and told women the videos would only be sold as DVDs to private collectors overseas. Once in San Diego, women were chaperoned, given little time to read contracts, and pressured into performing. Enright declared every contract signed by the plaintiffs “unenforceable and void,” ruling that signatures were obtained through fraud, intimidation, and coercion.5Courthouse News Service. Women Win $13 Million in GirlsDoPorn Fraud Suit

The videos were published on GirlsDoPorn.com and free streaming sites. The court found that Pratt personally operated a site called PornWikiLeaks, where he leaked the women’s real identities to drive traffic. The enterprise generated about $46,000 per video and was valued at roughly $6.4 million.6NBC San Diego. Judge Awards Millions to Plaintiffs in Fraudulent Porn Scheme

The Federal Sex Trafficking Prosecution

While the civil trial was still underway in October 2019, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California filed a federal indictment charging Pratt and several co-conspirators with sex trafficking conspiracy. The case (No. 19cr4488-JLS) ultimately charged six defendants and involved more than 570 victims over a period from roughly 2007 to 2019.7Courthouse News Service. Woman Who Recruited Victims for GirlsDoPorn Sentenced to Prison

Michael James Pratt, the site’s owner and ringleader, fled the United States in mid-2019 after liquidating assets. He was placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list and arrested by Spanish National Police in Madrid in December 2022. Following extradition to San Diego in March 2024, he pleaded guilty on June 5, 2025, to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion. He was sentenced on September 8, 2025, to 27 years in federal prison.8U.S. Department of Justice. GirlsDoPorn Owner Michael Pratt Sentenced to 27 Years for Sex Trafficking Hundreds of Women

The other defendants received the following sentences:

The $75.6 Million Restitution Order

On February 12, 2026, Judge Sammartino ordered Pratt to pay $75.6 million in restitution to 106 victims. The award was split into roughly $16.9 million representing the operation’s gross income and $58.6 million for the victims’ individual losses. Individual awards ranged from $440 to more than $6.6 million, averaging about $553,000 per victim. The order also declared all model releases and rights agreements signed by the victims void and unenforceable.13San Diego Union-Tribune. GirlsDoPorn Owner Ordered to Pay $75.6M in Restitution by San Diego Judge

Collection is another matter. Pratt liquidated his assets before fleeing in 2019, and authorities have recovered only about $2,400 in cash and 4.35 Bitcoin. Prosecutors have publicly acknowledged that Pratt is unlikely to ever make the victims whole.13San Diego Union-Tribune. GirlsDoPorn Owner Ordered to Pay $75.6M in Restitution by San Diego Judge