Stagliano Trial Attorneys Battle Over Actor's Identity

WASHINGTON — Day two of the obscenity trial of John Stagliano began with an issue over a witness the defense plans on calling.

Attorney Allan Gelbard indicated the defense would like to call one of the actresses who appear in the films, but requested permission from the court to refer to the actress in open court only by her stage name.

Gelbard said that they would be happy to provide the court the actresses’ real name and social security number, but as a matter of safety they would prefer not to have her real name disclosed in open court.

Gelbard told the judge that death threats are a very real possibility and a previous client of his once had her real name disclosed and a stalker managed to find her location at a hotel, which was a threatening situation for the woman involved.

Prosecutor Pamela Satterfield objected to granting the exemption to the witness, saying it would “give the air of legitimacy to a porn star” and that this witness shouldn’t be treated differently than any other witness.

In the regards to the danger of death threats, Satterfield said that she herself had been subjected to death threats because of her work in this case.

Judge Richard J. Leon said that it was a “very unusual request” and that he wanted to think on it before ruling. He seemed to indicate however he may rule against the request, saying that he couldn’t think of a drug trial where such a request was made or granted.

Testimony later resumed with FBI agent Daniel Bradley back on the stand. Bradley detailed the remaining scenes of “Milk Nymphos,” which the jury watched part of yesterday.

After which the government introduced exhibit four, “Storm Squirters 2.” The government displayed both the front and back cover of the DVD to the jury, but also included a paper advertisement that had been tucked into the DVD case.

This paper advertisement, which included descriptions and pictures of other movies for sale, would later become another issue in the case. It was displayed to the jury, but later outside of their presence, defense counsel Paul Cambria would object, saying defense had never been made aware of its existence.

The other issue defense council raised was that the pictures and descriptions of other movies contained within were not relevant to the case as those movies have presumptive constitutional protection.

Related:  

Copyright © 2026 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

FSC Publishes Guidance on New UK Pornography Laws

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published information for its members on the United Kingdom's recently passed pornography laws, which take effect next week.

Brazil Issues Guide to Digital Safety Compliance

Brazil’s National Data Protection Agency (ANPD) published on Wednesday a new guide outlining online providers’ child-protection responsibilities under the Digital Statute for Children and Adolescents (Digital ECA), which requires adult websites to age-verify users located in Brazil.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches by Country for August, September

AEBN has released the list of popular searches from its straight and gay theaters, by country, for August and September.

2027 XBIZ Exec Awards Nominees Announced for Adult Entertainment Edition

XBIZ is pleased to announce the nominees for the adult entertainment industry edition of the 2027 XBIZ Exec Awards, set to be presented as part of the annual XBIZ Honors ceremony on Friday, Jan. 8, in conjunction with the XBIZ 2027 event series.

Pineapple Support to Host 'Effective Parenting' Support Group

Pineapple Support is hosting a free online support group for performers with children.

XMA Nominations Party Set for Nov. 17 at Avalon Hollywood

A night that sets the stage for the flagship XMAs, this year’s nominations reveal party will take place at Avalon Hollywood on Tuesday, Nov. 17, with red-carpet arrivals starting at 8 p.m.

BrattyGirls.com Launches Through PAYSITE

Producer Robert Peru has launched his newest membership site, BrattyGirls, through PAYSITE.

Arcom Issues Warnings to 3 Adult Sites Over Age Verification

French media regulator Arcom has issued formal notices to the operators of three adult websites that the agency says have failed to implement age verification as required under French law.

AEBN Reveals Ariel Demure as Top Trans Star for Q3 of 2026

AEBN has named its top trans stars for the third quarter of 2026, with Ariel Demure landing atop the leaderboard.

Porn Piracy: How AI Is Transforming Content Theft and Protection

Gone are the days when the word “pirate” primarily conjured images of clever scoundrels like Captain Jack Sparrow, swaggering across the high seas in search of gold and jewels. Today’s most prolific pirates operate in the darkest corners of the internet, armed with bots, scrapers and generative AI.

Show More