Sept. 12 (Bloomberg) -- The company that produces ``Girls Gone Wild'' videos pleaded guilty to violating a law, aimed at protecting minors, that requires makers of sexually explicit films to document the ages of their performers.

Santa Monica, California-based Mantra Films Inc. entered the plea today in U.S. District Court in Panama City, Florida. The company's founder, Joseph Francis, also agreed to plead guilty to charges that will be filed later in federal court in Los Angeles, the U.S. Justice Department said. The company and Francis will pay $2.1 million in fines and restitution.

``Today's agreements ensure that `Girls Gone Wild' will comply with an important law designed to prevent the sexual exploitation of minors and puts other producers on notice that they must be in compliance as well,'' Alice Fisher, the head of the Justice Department's criminal division, said in a statement.

The department said the charges are the first under a federal law that requires producers of sexually explicit material to ensure their performers are at least 18 years old by recording their real names and dates of birth. The companies must be able to produce the documents on demand. The ``Girls Gone Wild'' videos are best known for showing topless students on spring break.

A second company founded by Francis, MRA Holdings LLC, entered into a so-called deferred prosecution agreement today, also in Florida. Under the terms of the deal, the company agreed to hire an outside monitor to ensure it maintains the proper records. After three years, charges against the company will be dropped if it abides by the agreement and doesn't break the law.

Record-Keeping Law

Francis, chief executive officer of the companies, was ``personally involved in persuading performers to engage in sexually explicit conduct'' and deciding which camera footage would be used for the digital video discs and videotapes, according to court papers. The company and Francis violated the record-keeping law in 2002 and part of 2003, prosecutors said.

Mantra Films has sales of about $40 million annually, the Los Angeles Times reported last month, citing unnamed people close to Francis.

``My companies and I acknowledge that what we did was wrong and violated federal laws,'' Francis said in a public statement filed in court. ``We also acknowledge that as a result of these violations, footage of minors engaged in actual sexually explicit conduct appeared in at least two DVDs that were commercially released for sale to the public.''

Francis's attorney, Aaron Dyer, didn't return a call requesting comment.

In May, U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation to conduct regular inspections of records kept by producers of pornography.

To contact the reporter on this story: Robert Schmidt in Washington at rschmidt5@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: September 12, 2006 16:34 EDT