A California Democrat mega-donor who worked as a prominent real estate developer by day and directed hardcore porn movies by night has pleaded guilty to tax fraud, with authorities saying he failed to report almost $6.9 million in income on his tax returns.
He also failed to disclose on a bankruptcy filing that he had earned nearly $2.3 million in income.
Mark Handel, 68, formally pleaded guilty to the charges in a California court on Thursday. Handel is a real estate developer in the Los Angeles suburb of Agoura Hills and has reportedly donated to prominent California Democrats, including now Rep. Tony Cardenas and Sen. Alex Padilla.
But Handel apparently led a double life as porn director whose movies were noted for their degradation of women, according to a Daily Beast report. Working under the name “Khan Tusion,” he helmed porn movies with titles such as Rough Sex, Meat Holes, and Butt Licking Anal Whores.
His movies reportedly featured violence against the female performers, some of whom were beaten, spat upon, and even choked until they lost consciousness.
The Justice Department said Handel has agreed to forfeit approximately $3.5 million and has agreed to pay the IRS approximately $1.5 million in tax liabilities, which include civil fraud penalties.
Handel faces a maximum sentence of eight years in federal prison.
The Daily Beast reported that during the 2000s, Handel was a major bundler for Democrat politicians with allies both in Sacramento and Los Angeles City Hall — including now-Rep. Tony Cardenas and Sen. Alex Padilla, both of whom served in state and municipal legislatures.
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