In a Brooklyn, New York court on Thursday, Aylo Holdings S.A.R.L., the parent company of Pornhub.com, agreed to pay $1.8 million to the U.S. government. This payment is part of a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) designed to resolve a charge for engaging in unlawful monetary transactions involving sex trafficking proceeds.
The proceeding was held before U.S. Chief Magistrate Lois Bloom in a federal court in Brooklyn. Aylo will be monitored for three years and pay both the U.S. government and individuals adversely affected by the underlying sex trafficking.
The resolution brings Aylo to account for its role in hosting videos and accepting payments from criminal actors who coerced young women into engaging in sexual acts that were later posted online without their consent. According to U.S. Attorney Breon Peace, “This resolution will not only provide oversight over one of the largest online content distributors in the world and ensure the company’s lawful behavior, but it will also develop industry-wide standards for safety and compliance.”
Aylo hosted pornographic videos created by GirlsDoPorn (GDP) and GirlsDoToys (GDT) on its websites, including Pornhub.com, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The creators and operators of GDP were indicted by a federal grand jury in 2019 for sex trafficking offenses, which involved deceiving and coercing young women to appear in sex videos uploaded online without their consent. Several of the creators and operators were convicted.
The DPA holds Aylo accountable for its involvement in hosting these videos and receiving payments generated by sex trafficking. The payments will provide compensation to those negatively affected by the actions of Aylo.
This resolution will ensure that Aylo is monitored for three years, providing oversight of one of the world’s largest online content distributors. It will also create industry-wide standards for safety and compliance to prevent future sex trafficking cases in the online content industry.
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