When you think of Hollywood you think of glitz and glamour, but that same Californian suburb is also associated with the seedier side of movie-making – porn.
And, although its VHS heyday of the late '80s and '90s has long gone, the adult film industry still thrives in the age of the digital download, producing thousands of films each year and just as many billions as its more reputable neighbour.
In fact, while there might be those who still aren't familiar with the films of Brad Pitt or Leonardo DiCaprio, almost everyone on the planet has likely seen at least one skin flick at some point in their lives.
What is more, the porn business is still forever being referenced on the big screen – movies like Boogie Nights even taking home a clutch of Oscars, the industry's highest award.
And, just as that film was inspired by the tragic story of well-endowed '70s star John Holmes and his descent into crime, many other porn actors have also found themselves on the wrong side of the law in the intervening years.
Here are some of the more extreme examples.
Sunny Dae – sex party murder
Florida's Dae – AKA Amanda Logue – was accused in 2012 of murdering a tattoo shop owner after a sex party she attended went disastrously awry.
Dennis Abrahamsen, 41, was found stabbed and bludgeoned to death on a massage table in his New Port Richey home in May 2010.
Dae ended up pleading guilty to the lesser charge of second degree murder, claiming that her boyfriend Jason Andrews had been the one who'd wielded the offending sledgehammer.
She ended up with 40 years inside, while Andrews got a life-sentence.
David Meza – near decapitation
This gay porn star lured a wealthy Texan man into having a relationship so he could swindle him out of his fortune.
David Meza, from San Diego, was living a double with his pregnant girlfriend Taylor Langston when he hatched the plan to kill his millionaire lover, eventually stabbing him to death and dumping his body in a ravine in Mexico in 2015.
His throat was also slit so violently that he was 'nearly decapitated'.
The 27-year-old was jailed for life in 2017, while his Langston was given a sentence of a year and nine months for providing him with a false alibi.
Aubrey Gold – shooting man in head
Aubrey Gold, who found fame shooting skin flicks between 2015 and 2018, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in October last year after a man was shot in the back of the head and buried in a shallow grave.
Born Lauren Wambles, Gold, 24, pleaded no contest to one count of accessory after the fact to second-degree murder with a firearm in connection with the killing of 51-year-old Raul Ambriz Guillen.
Her former boyfriend, William Shane Parker, is believed to be the person who actually pulled the trigger.
Gold will also be subject to five years of probation after her release.
Ron Jeremy – alleged sexual assaults
Famed for having a physique not exactly suited to the hard-bodied world of porno – not for nothing did he earn the nickname 'The Hedgehog' – Jeremy would end up charged with sexually assaulting nearly two dozen women.
It was first alleged in 2020 that he'd raped four women he'd met at bars along LA's Sunset Strip, but after those charges were initially announced dozens of other women also came forward to accuse the 69-year-old of sexual assault dating back to the late '90s.
Earlier this year a judge suspended court proceedings against Jeremy after a lawyer raised doubts about his mental health. He is set to undergo a psychiatric evaluation but faces 250 years behind bars if found guilty.
Ryan Idol – hitting ex with toilet lid
Gay-for-pay 41-year-old, Ryan Idol, was convicted of attempted murder in 2011 for beating his ex-girlfriend with a porcelain lid from a toilet cistern.
Idol – real name Marc Anthony Donais – rose to fame in the 1990s and even featured as a Playgirl centrefold.
He claimed the attack, which happened in 2009 at the California home the pair once shared, had been in self-defence, but the jury ultimately failed to believe him.
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Isabelle Lagace – cocaine smuggling
This Canadian was 29-years-old when she attempted to smuggle £18million worth of cocaine on a cruise ship.
Isabelle Lagace was sentenced to four and a half years in prison in 2017 after she pleaded guilty to taking the class A drug on-board the £11,000-per-head MS Sea Princess, which had set off for Australia from the UK.
She claimed she'd done it to clear a $20k debt but would not name the person to whom she owed the money.
When the ship docked in Sydney, border control officers discovered 30kg of coke stashed in her suitcase.
Nacho Vidal – toad venom
In early 2021 Spanish porn star Nacho Vidal was charged with manslaughter after a man died during a bizarre ritual in which he inhaled toxic Mexican toad venom.
Vidal, who's starred in more than 600 adult movies, is believed to have administered the substance – said to be a psychedelic – to fashion photographer Jose Luis Abad in an attempt to cure him of his cocaine addiction.
The incident happened at the star's home in Enguera, Valencia.
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- Hollywood
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