Summary: A porn star that also worked as an escort attempted to extort millions from a wealthy businessman to keep quiet about their encounters.
A gay porn star/escort has been convicted by a federal jury of extortion. Teofil Brank, 25, extorted $500,000 and a fancy car from business tycoon Donald Burns, 51. The U.S. District Court panel in Los Angeles deliberated for two hours before passing out the guilty verdict on six felony counts.
Burns paid Brank the hush money after Brank threatened to expose to the public their paid sexual encounters. Burns has waterfront estates in Nantucket, La Jolla, and Palm Beach. Brank will now face up to 53 years in prison.
According to the court records, Brank threatened to use Twitter to post incriminating photos of Burns and “embarrassing information” unless he received the demanded money. Burns wired him $500,000 from his Goldman Sachs account into the porn star’s bank account. He also gave Brank aka Jarec Wentworth his Audi R8, which is valued at $180,000.
Brank then demanded an additional $1 million and an L.A. condo to stay silent. It was then that Burns went to the FBI.
Burns admitted during trial to paying several porn stars for sex. He also stated that he has paid some men referral fees after they introduced him to other sex partners. He explained his actions to the jury “as a way to have sexual contact without commitment and I had the resources to do it.”
One escort that Burns had contact with, Justin Griggs, testified in court that he flew him and other guy out to his Palm Beach and Nantucket homes to “just hang out, surf, grill, go to dinner, and then we would have sex, group sex.”
Burns made his money in 1997 when he sold a telecommunications firm he co-founded. He now chairs the board of Magicjack Vocaltec Ltd.
How long do you think Brank will spend behind bars? Tell us in the comments below.
To learn more about other escorts in the news, read these articles:
- Attorney who Billed Clients for Escorts Faulted by Court
- America’s Top Model Winner Denied Crown for Being Escort
- The Daily Mail Hit with $150M Lawsuit for Suggesting Melania Trump Was an Escort
Photo: southfloridagaynews.com