When J.T. arrived at his home, the two FBI agents asked to see the records for two gay films that he produced in 1997.
This would, at first, appear to violate the 2257 seven-year statue of limitations, which states that content older than seven years is no longer subject to inspection. Laura I. Miller, a press representative for the FBI, confirmed, however, that material that has undergone an "amendment" — a change from VHS to DVD format, for example — would essentially restart the clock, putting formerly exempt material into play.
J.T. said that in 2003, he sent his master copies to distribution company AMVC, which duplicated the VHS tapes onto DVDs and repackaged them with new box covers that printed 2003 as the production date.
"I had the IDs prepared," J.T. said, adding he had set them aside suspecting that the FBI was going to surprise him with an early visit. He had spoken to the FBI on the phone Wednesday evening, and said a June 11 inspection date had been established.
Miller would not confirm this date.
J.T. said the agents told him that he was in violation of two 2257 rules. The first, which J.T. said he expected, was with regards to his address — J.T. had posted a private mailbox as the location of his records, rather than his home address.
J.T. further alleges the FBI agents said that he violated the 2257 section that requires adult businesses to post a minimum of 20 normal business hours during which they can be inspected. J.T. said that working in adult is not his full time job and requires less than 20 hours per week of work.
"How do I do that when I'm doing [adult business] on the side?" J.T. said.
J.T. said he thankfully had made an organized spreadsheet of the birth names and dates of every one of his actors, something he was — but hadn't expected to be — asked to turn over to the agents. He said the agents told him he would have had a more severe violation had he not produced the spreadsheet.
The agents left the inspection, J.T. said, telling him that nothing severe would result from his two violations, and that the worst consequence he'd likely endure would be a fine. He said they recommended he consult a lawyer to correct his violations as soon as possible.
J.T. said that AMVC keeps up-to-date 2257 records of all of the content it acquires from secondary producers, and that he is not sure why the FBI contacted him in advance.
Miller could not be reached at press time.
