The heavier-than-expected punishment handed down to Joe Francis in Los Angeles was similar to a sentence his Santa Monica-based production company, Mantra Films Inc., received in Florida last month.

Monday’s sanctions on the 33-year old entrepreneur included two years’ probation — twice what his lawyers requested — and a $500,000 fine, which Francis had agreed to pay under a plea deal with prosecutors.

Under that agreement, reached with the Justice Department in September, Francis admitted to filming underage women — who were often nude and intoxicated — for his videos. Francis pleaded guilty to two felony counts of violating federal record-keeping laws.

Monday’s sentence marked the second time that a federal judge had surprised Francis with a community service obligation.

Last month, Judge Richard Smoak in Florida ordered Mantra to serve 32 hours a month for 30 months, eight hours of which Francis must personally serve each month. Smoak told Francis he could reduce the total number of hours required by doing more of the service himself. His attorney, Aaron Dyer, has said Francis would appeal the Florida sentence, which included a $1.6-million fine to be paid by Mantra.

Francis built a $40-million-a-year business filming spring-break revelers and selling soft-porn videos using late-night infomercials. The felony violations involved a failure to document the ages of women who performed in videos filmed during 2002 and part of 2003.

Federal law requires producers of sexually explicit materials to file documents proving that performers in sexually explicit videos are adults. The laws are aimed at preventing the sexual exploitation of children.

Francis’ attorney argued Monday for leniency in the sentencing, calling his client an “exemplary citizen” and his crime “just a record-keeping violation.”

But U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Morrow told Francis she considered the charges serious and indicative of an “endemic” problem at his company.

The judge dismissed Francis’ request to be able to travel without restriction to his Mexican villa. According to Morrow’s sentence, Francis must seek permission before traveling outside the country on business or to travel anywhere for pleasure.

Dyer told Morrow that Francis had a meeting planned in China. The judge said Francis would have to file court papers before taking the trip.

Outside the courthouse, Francis said he believed he had been persecuted by the Justice Department.

But she’s in trouble with the law in Gwinnett County and her legal bills are mounting. So Taylor walked out on stage at the Toy Chest under her now notorious stage name — “Melissa Wolf, the Mansion Madam.” — to dance her problems away one dollar at a time.

She was dressed like a cowboy — sort of. At least like a cowboy who favored black sequins but not pants.

That’s how Taylor brought her newfound notoriety to a Detroit area strip club Thursday night.

Taylor said she returned to adult entertainment for income after her racketeering arrest made it difficult to sell real estate.

Taylor and Nicole A. Probert, 30, of Lawrenceville, are accused of trading sex for money through a business aided by Web advertisements. The women also have been accused of procuring drugs for their clients and friends.

Taylor, danced late Thursday at the Toy Chest near Detroit before heading off to Cheetah’s of Windsor in Canada early Friday.

“I’d much rather be selling real estate right now, ” Taylor said after her Toy Chest performance.

She faces up to 37 years in prison on charges of running a call-girl operation from her Sugarloaf Country Club home in Duluth.

While Gwinnett District Attorney Danny Porter said she was charging clients as much as $5,000 to $10,000 for sex acts, it’s unlikely that she’s going to come home with that much money tucked away in a G-string from her gigs up north.

But she’s been adding bookings, and said more are coming. The bookings came after news of her arrest raised her profile, she said.

Lawyers for Taylor and Probert have said the women are innocent and that they plan to fight the charges.

Nancy Brun, the manager of Toy Chest, said Thursday night’s crowd was about average. Taylor was better recognized in her native Canada.

Among the songs Taylor danced to were “Black Betty”, “Addicted to Love” and “The Joker” by Steve Miller.