Dhruv Trivedi
Rand Gauthier is widely known as the man instrumental in leaking the infamous Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee sex tape, a video that has since become iconic for ushering in an era of “leaked” celebrity videos. Before stealing the tape, Rand had a relatively regular life. However, he has had some pretty varied experiences since — from his electrical projects to working in the adult industry and even doing a stint with the mob many years ago.
The private celebrity tape he acquired and subsequently began selling also generated millions of dollars in sales. Since the release of the darkly funny biographical miniseries ‘Pam & Tommy,’ questions about Rand’s fortunes have been on people’s minds. So just how much is Rand Gauthier worth? Let’s find out.
How Did Rand Gauthier Make His Money?
After getting a Bachelor of Science in Electrophysics from California State University, whether he began working immediately as an electrician is unclear. However, by the late 1980s, Rand met porn actress Erica Boyer, who introduced him to a few porn directors so he could star alongside her in videos. Thus began Rand’s short-lived but relatively well-known porn career, for which he also adopted the name, Austin Moore.
However, not really enjoying having sex in a room full of people, Rand soon began focussing on working as an electrician, which is how he landed work at Anderson and Lee’s Malibu mansion. After being fired with unpaid dues that apparently amounted to $20,000, Rand decided to steal the safe kept in the couple’s garage and subsequently found a Hi8 cassette with the private recording that would soon go viral.
Rand and adult film producer and director Milton Ingley began selling VHS copies of the private recording online for $59.95, and the money started flowing in. At one point (Rand later revealed in an interview), he was even looking at castles in Spain. However, since the tape was stolen, neither of them owned the rights to the video, making it impossible for them to stop other bootleggers from selling copies of the tape themselves. Rand and Milton’s funds dwindled further once the video became available to stream online. This was particularly stressful because the websites and initial investment had been reportedly paid for by a $50,000 loan from Louis “Butchie” Peraino, a New York mobster.
Milton escaped to Europe and reportedly continued to run the websites from Amsterdam while Rand handled deliveries from LA. They claimed they were able to pay back the initial loan to Peraino but couldn’t cover the interest. So, Peraino forced Rand to work collections for the mob, essentially making it the latter’s job to intimidate others and collect money owed to the crime family. In an interview many years later, Rand described breaking collar bones as part of his “work.”
Eventually, however, Rand returned to being an electrician. According to his personal pages, he worked at the University of California as an electrician and as an electrical engineer and business relations manager at Tricon International. Rand has since started a business called Q Electrical Services in Santa Rosa, California, specializing in wiring motor controllers and equipment used to control the speed of machinery. Gauthier also claimed to be researching polyacrylamide gels and working on a book about the nature of magic and symbolism in religion.
What is Rand Gauthier’s Net Worth?
Rand Gauthier’s net worth is estimated to be around $200,000. Despite a brief windfall, it seems like almost all the money he earned from selling the first few copies of the explosive celebrity sex tape quickly dried up. It is also unclear if he even got his fair share for the tapes that were sold (since Milton seemingly handled the money and had a taste for partying).
Though the legitimate sales of the video reportedly crossed $77 million in the first year alone, it seems like the man that stole the original tape from Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s mansion saw very little of that money — most of the money went to Seth Warshavsky’s Internet Entertainment Group. Considering Rand Gauthier now runs an electrical services company, it is likely he has a relatively modest lifestyle.
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