In what will surely be a storyline on the next season of Scandal or Empire -- or, depending how this shakes out, How to Get Away with Murder -- billioniare philanthropist and media mogul David Geffen has been dragged into the gay porn star extortion trial of the century.
Or at least of the month.
If you're not familar with the tale of Teofil Brank, let's play a little game of catch-up. The Romanian-born Brank, better known by his nom de porn Jarec Wentworth, blackmailed Florida business tycoon Donald Burns out of $500 thousand and an Audi R8 sports car by threatening to expose the lurid details of their relationship.
Unsatisfied with his ill-gained riches, the Sean Cody star tried to snatch another million, as well as Burns' condo, from his sugar daddy gone sour.
"I'm just going to bite hard," Brank wrote in a text message to Burns on February 16, according to court documents. "I want a new car, motorcycle and both hands full of cash."
First of all, good for him. Brank knew what he wanted and he went after it. The ends clearly don't justify the means, but, hey -- it's better to dream big than never to dream at all.
Second, has Olivia Pope taught us nothing about leaving a paper trail? Always make your threats and demands in person, dammit! Away from witnesses and recording devices. Amateur.
Anygay, back to our story. The Telco Communications Group co-founder was not about to give Brank another red cent of his $140 million fortune, so he contacted the FBI, who in turn set up a sting operation to nab the 25-year-old.
Brank met with an undercover agent at a Starbucks near LAX, where he was handed the title to the Audi. The agent told Brank the money was in the trunk of his car, which of course led to Brank being led off in handcuffs. But not before federal agents found a loaded revolver in Brank's car.
Burns' attempts to keep his affair with the porn star under wraps were for naught, as the details came to light when Brank stood trial this week. Burns had offered Sean Cody filmmakers the use of his palatial Razor Residence estate in La Jolla -- seen in commercials for Visa and Calvin Klein -- for a measly $10. The businessman also offered Brank a $22,000 pimping fee if he delivered on a list of 11 Sean Cody models.
"It was a way to have sexual contact without commitment and I had the resources to do it," Burns said on the stand. He reportedly paid up to $2,500 for each sexual encounter.
First of all, good for him.
Second -- jealous. Moving on....
Escort Justin Griggs added some necessary glamour with his testimony, featuring tales of jetting off to private homes in Nantucket and Palm Beach, group sex sessions with porn stars and envelopes stuffed with cash. Griggs, however, was reluctant to testify at first, out of fear of a "very powerful" individual.
"Should I give you the name of the person?" Griggs asked Brank's attorney, Ashfaq Chowdhury.
"Yes," Chowdhury said.
"David Geffen," Griggs replied.
This theme of "very poweful" men runs through the entire narrative of this case. Etienne Yim, who drove Brank to Starbucks for that fateful meeting, claims the gun in Brank's car was for protection.
"He's a very powerful person," Yim said of Burns. "I believed he had the power to eliminate the two of us."
After two hours of deliberation, the jury found Brank guilty of six charges, including extortion and attemted extortion. Brank faces multiple years in prison and will return to court September 21 for sentencing. As for Burns, he's not immune from criminal prosecution for engaging in prostitution, and the reputation he tried so hard to protect is in ruins.
This story is at turns funny, sad, sexy, sad again and just plain crazy. What started out as some not-so innocent fun turned into the kind of melodramatic shenanigans that ruin debaucherous sexcapades for everyone else. But I think we can all learn a few lessons from this.
A. Extortion is like gambling -- you gotta know when to step away from the table.
B. Rough trade likes to play rough.
And C. To paraphrase Bel Biv Devoe, never trust a big bulge and a smile.
No matter how sexy it is.
Les Fabian Brathwaite -- what prison is he going to again?
[h/t] Joe. My. God.
