Judge 'Gives Girls Gone Wild' Founder $5,000 Daily Fine Until He Returns Luxury Cars

Joe Francis doesn't know how to keep a low-profile.

The "Girls Gone Wild" founder has been hit with a $5,000 daily fine until he returns two luxury cars belonging to the soft-porn empire that was recently bought out of bankruptcy, the Wall Street Journal reports.

A bankruptcy judge initiated the fines Friday, as Francis' reasoning for why he hasn't returned a Cadillac Escalade and a Bentley Flying Spur didn't fly. He claims, in court documents, that he was "powerless" to return the cars after a Mexican strip club owner took the vehicles from him.

Although Francis is appealing, there will be another hearing set for July 31 to see whether or not the cars have been returned to "Girls Gone Wild," which is known for dispatching camera crews to film college-age women on the beach.

Francis' lawyer said the sanctions were "outside the scope of proper civil contempt sanctions."

Francis is no stranger to court. He has been indicted for tax evasion, and he was previously sentenced to nine months in jail for allegedly holding three women hostage in his limo.

In April, an investor group bought the bankrupt "Girls Gone Wild" for $1.8 million.

"I'm fortunate to have made my money a long time ago and can let GGW go with a smile on my face," Francis said in an email to the Journal at the time.