Aylo, the Canadian parent company of PornHub, formerly known as MindGeek, is currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. The investigation was prompted by a lawsuit filed by Kristy Althaus, who claims to have been a victim of rape during a shoot for GirlsDoPorn. The videos from the shoot were allegedly uploaded to multiple websites managed by Aylo.
In the lawsuit, Althaus, now going by the name Jane Doe, accuses Aylo of engaging in monetary transactions related to sex trafficking. It is claimed that GirlsDoPorn would upload clips to PornHub and share them with the women’s acquaintances and contacts in order to make them go viral.
Five members of the GirlsDoPorn team have already pleaded guilty to conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. The owner, Michael Pratt, who fled San Diego in 2019, was arrested in Madrid in December and charged with various offenses, including sex trafficking of a minor and production of child pornography.
Lisa Marks, Althaus’ lawyer, has stated that negotiations are taking place between Aylo and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York regarding a deferred prosecution agreement. This agreement would allow Aylo to avoid criminal convictions by acknowledging responsibility for their actions.
Despite changing her name, Althaus claims to have faced ongoing harassment following the publication of the videos. She reported being assaulted at her home by an individual who identified themselves as a PornHub subscriber and confronted her about the removal of the videos.
The Logic reached out to the Attorney’s Office for confirmation or denial of the investigation, but no official statement has been provided.
