A US court is to seek evidence from services giant Grant Thornton’s Irish business in relation to an alleged child sexual abuse case involving one of the world’s largest pornography companies, MindGeek, which owns Pornhub
Erena Fleites took on the US case against MindGeek and others in 2021. She claims that MindGeek operates one of the world’s largest human trafficking companies and has monetized child sexual abuse material. She further claimed that Mindgeek used its international corporate structure of “hundreds of shell companies” to obfuscate the process and launder payments.
In July, a US court rejected efforts by MindGeek and other defendants to have the case dismissed. It ordered the case to enter a judicial investigation phase by December 30.
Earlier this month, a US court granted a motion by Fleites to produce letters seeking evidence for the trial of Grant Thornton affiliates in Ireland, Canada, Cyprus and Luxembourg.
Grant Thornton Ireland provided auditing services to four Mindgeek-owned companies, including MG Billing, which collected subscriptions from MindGeek premium users, according to US court documents. The professional services firm resigned as an auditor last year following allegations of unlawful content on the Pornhub site.
Fleites asked the court to allow the motion to send the letters to Grant Thornton Ireland as it could help “clarify where the money is going” and “the real ownership of the porn sites that generated revenue”. The court agreed with Fleites and granted the application.
The defendants dismissed the letters, claiming they were irrelevant because “no MindGeek entity organized under Irish law is a defendant”. They further argued that MG Billing was “not a party in this case”.
According to a proposed letter submitted to the US court last week, the US court is to ask the High Court of Ireland to compel the production of documents and appearance to testify under oath on Grant Thornton Ireland.
Documents requested included items such as contracts and agreements related to services Grant Thornton performs for MindGeek companies, as well as documents regarding its corporate structure and financial results.
“If the court can actually examine the facts, we are confident that the plaintiff’s claims will be dismissed.”
The letter said Fleites expects to take testimony from a Grant Thornton Ireland company representative.
It added that Fleites expects areas of investigation will include various factors such as the services provided by Grant Thornton to MindGeek’s businesses, MindGeek’s use of Grant Thornton’s property and any questions raised after reviewing the documents provided.
Grant Thornton was unable to comment due to the ongoing court case.
In earlier coverage of Fleites’ case, taken from the BBC in August, MindGeek said the court has yet to rule on the truth of the allegations against him and other defendants.
“If the court can actually examine the facts, we are confident that the plaintiff’s claims will be dismissed for lack of merit,” the company said.
MindGeek also told the BBC that it has zero tolerance for posting illegal content on its platforms.
The company added that any suggestion that it doesn’t take the disposal of illegal material seriously is “categorically false.”
