Joe Francis has revealed he will be the next star to appear on business tycoon Donald Trump’s hit reality TV show.

Network executives at Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice have yet to confirm the show’s competitors.

But Francis has admitted he is keen to join the cast, confirming to Hollyscoop.com, “I’m doing Celebrity Apprentice.”

Just last week, Trump revealed to Los Angeles radio host Ryan Seacrest that he has received countless calls from celebrities desperate to revive their careers with a turn on his show.

Interested parties reportedly include comedian Joan Rivers, former basketball star Dennis Rodman, and socialite Khloe Kardashian.

The show is set to begin recording in the autumn and is scheduled for a premiere in January.

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WENN

Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis has filed a lawsuit against his former accountant, accusing him of mishandling company tax reports.

Francis has made millions from his adult DVD series, but alleges his former CPA Michael Barrett messed up his firm Mantra Films, Inc.’s books.

In the lawsuit – filed in Los Angeles Superior Court last week – Francis claims Barrett failed to alert him to tax issues and alleges he breached a “duty of loyalty” by not doing so.

Francis also claims Barrett ran an illegal gambling ring off the shore of Costa Rica before he was hired to work for Girls Gone Wild.

The suit adds that Barrett was desperate to claim a $10 million reward from the Internal Revenue Service, despite being responsible for preparing, filing and signing tax returns.

Francis is seeking unspecified damages in the case, reports TMZ.com.

As WENN went to press, Barrett could not be reached for comment.

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WENN

Ashley Alexandra Dupré, the woman at the center of New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s call-girl scandal, withdrew her $10-million lawsuit against Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis and his film company on Thursday afternoon.

The suit, originally filed in April, claimed that Dupré’s name and image had been exploited for profit.

“Ms. Dupré wants to eliminate all negativity from her life and focus on the positive,” Dupré’s attorney Richard C. Wolfe said in a statement. “She has prospects for many exciting new projects and is looking forward to starting a new chapter.”

Francis could not immediately be reached for comment.

The lawsuit alleged that Dupré was duped into signing a release form and exposing her breasts for Girls Gone Wild cameras in 2003, when she was only 17.

After the lawsuit was filed, Francis said he was “surprised and in fact amazed” by her claims, noting that he had not released new video of Dupré “due to corporate policy of not using footage of individuals younger than 18.” Francis also asserted that Dupré gave her consent on video when the footage was taken, and at that time provided his camera crew with identification that showed she was 18. Francis later released video clips that supported those assertions.

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Yesterday I reported on Joe Francis being arrested for contempt of court.  Well, it looks like he’s having a pretty rough week.

Joe Francis, founder of the “Girls Gone Wild” empire, has been indicted on charges of tax evasion, the federal government announced today.

Francis, 34, of Santa Monica, was indicted by a grand jury in Reno, Nev., the Department of Justice announced. He is charged with deducting more than $20 million in false business expenses on the 2002 and 2003 corporate income tax returns filed on behalf of his Mantra Films Inc. and Sands Media Inc.

Francis built a media empire selling video and DVDs of young women exposing themselves during alcohol-fueled celebrations.

According to the indictment, Francis is charged with using offshore bank accounts to conceal income he earned during 2002 and 2003. The indictment also alleges that Francis transferred more than $15 million from an offshore bank account to a brokerage account in Irvine, Calif., held in the name of Rothwell Limited, a Cayman Islands corporation, that Francis controlled, the government said.

If convicted, Francis faces up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $500,000.

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