Naman Shrestha
In the three-part true crime documentary Peacock’s ‘Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story,’ the primary focus is on the rise and fall of Joe Francis‘ Girls Gone Wild empire. His several employees enjoyed the advantages of working in the organization but also went through legal troubles whenever it was involved in some controversy. One of the former employees who appears in the show is Mark Schmitz, who revisits his time at Girls Gone Wild.
Mark Schmitz Was Arrested Along With Joe Francis in 2003
Born on February 24, 1977, Mark David Schmitz was intrigued by the idea of working for Girls Gone Wild, an adult entertainment franchise created by Joe Francis. When he finally made it on the team as one of the cameramen, it was a dream come true for him. However, as the company grew bigger and the authorities began looking into the workings of the organization, they found some questionable practices that the hosts of the videos used to get women to agree to the recording.
After gathering enough evidence against Joe and several of his employees, on April 2, 2003, the Criminal Investigations Division of the BCSO and members of the Panama City Beach Police Department not only arrested the owner of Girls Gone Wild outside his Panama City Beach house but also executed multiple search warrants on the houses of his employees. The searches led to the police finding a bunch of evidentiary items, including electronic equipment, original and unedited footage of Gone Girl Wild, and drugs. In light of the evidence found from the searches, three employees of Girls Gone Wild, including Mark Schmitz, were arrested.
As a result, 26-year-old Mark was charged with child prostitution, child pornography, and sexual exploitation and held on a $50,000 bond. As he was one of the cameramen for Girls Gone Wild during the early 2000s, Mark alleged that he remembered at least five instances when Joe Francis had been inappropriate with women. He added, “Joe doesn’t have any boundaries whatsoever with anyone, especially with girls. I got him literally on tape lifting a girl’s shirt up. It’s horrible to watch that stuff.”
After His Stint With Girls Gone Wild, Mark Schmitz Moved on to Better Things in Life
After getting bailed out of prison, Mark Schmitz seemingly cut his ties with Girls Gone Wild and went in a different direction. From what we can tell, the former cameramen of the adult entertainment franchise made the most of his experience and got a job at Island Vision as a Film Editor. Mark seemed to have learned his lesson after working under Joe Francis and supposedly has turned his life around since then. Apart from focusing on his professional career, he is aware of how important it is to take time out for his friends and family. In his free time, he enjoys traveling and exploring new places. For instance, in November 2019, he hiked up the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and appreciated the stunning views of the surrounding hills from the top. Seemingly self-employed, Mark’s last known place of residence was Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Read More: Joe Francis: Where is the Founder of Girls Gone Wild Now?
