Porn film role costs police officer his job, part on TV show

[Nole795]

Porn film role costs police officer his job, part on TV show

Gay Hollywood officer plans to sue department for discrimination

By Steve Rothaus, The Miami Herald

January 25, 2010

Michael Verdugo's 15 minutes of porn film fame cost him his job as a Hollywood police officer and his budding career as "Mikey V'' of HGTV's Design Star.

Verdugo is fighting to get back his police job and is preparing to sue the Police Department for discrimination.

Hollywood police fired Verdugo — and Design Star dumped him — after a 1996 video turned up on the Internet showing the future cop in a 15-minute bondage scene from a gay porn flick called Rope Rituals.

"I don't regret it," Verdugo, 35, said of his one-time appearance at age 22 in porn, three years before he became a police officer. "It was a time in my life that I wanted to explore."

Verdugo, billed as Jeremy Wess in Rope Rituals, said he performed nude in the short scene, but didn't engage in hard-core sex. "It was all role-playing bondage. I was tied. I used handcuffs later on in my career."

Just after the video turned up in July 2008, Design Star uninvited Mikey V from a reunion episode. Hollywood police put Verdugo on administrative leave with pay. An investigation followed and the department fired him in January 2009 for not disclosing on his police application that he had made the porn film. An arbitrator recently upheld the termination.

Now, Verdugo has asked his attorney, Alberto Milian, to file a civil lawsuit against Hollywood police for wrongful termination and discrimination.

"When you're a gay cop in a paramilitary organization like law enforcement, a lot of discrimination exists," said Milian, a Coral Gables criminal defense attorney who also specializes in labor law for police officers and firefighters. "He was a damn good cop. This guy was an asset and there's no doubt his talents were very useful to the people of Hollywood."

The city denies firing Verdugo, a one-time undercover officer, because he is gay.

"This had nothing to do with Mike Verdugo's sexuality. It had to do with his honesty. The application process to become a police officer is very arduous," Hollywood spokeswoman Raelin Storey said.

Hollywood Police Chief Chad Wagner determined Verdugo had not been honest on his application because he omitted the porn film, Storey said, and "that was why he was let go."

Verdugo said he never gave thought to putting the movie on his résumé when he first became a Lauderhill cop in 1999, or when he applied to the Hollywood department two years later.

He believes his sexual orientation had plenty to do with his firing, that if a male police officer appeared nude in a straight porn film his police buddies would be "high-fiving him in the hallway."

Verdugo said he was offered a part in a gay porn film in 1996 at the old Copa dance club in Fort Lauderdale. He filmed Rope Rituals in San Francisco, was paid $700 and that was the end of his porn career, he said.

The brawny Verdugo, who grew up in Hialeah, appeared during the 2008 season of Design Star. He placed fourth that season and was supposed to return for a reunion episode, but the series dropped him after the porn news broke. He now owns an interior design company, Verdugo Design Group, and a company that fixes up vacant homes, Elite Home Staging.

Verdugo said he always was out in both Lauderhill and Hollywood police departments and that he even briefly dated a fellow Hollywood police officer.

Hollywood police officer fired for role in gay porn film 'Rope Rituals' plans to sue department for discrimination - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

[Kimble]

"This guy was an asset and there's no doubt his talents were very useful to the people of Hollywood."

Talents that include tying himself up with rope one-handed, while holding the video camera in the other hand. People this perverted (straight or otherwise), who also happen to lie on their application, don't belong in a position of public trust, good riddance.

[PathosLogos]

Talents that include tying himself up with rope one-handed, while holding the video camera in the other hand. People this perverted (straight or otherwise), who also happen to lie on their application, don't belong in a position of public trust, good riddance.

I was going to say something to that extent, but I'm a bit wary about saying anything since I have no LE experience.

My thoughts were, however, if this guy does not regret his actions then why didn't he disclose the instance in his application? Personally, I don't believe he just "forgot" about it...I've never been in that situation, but I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't forget about something like that. I don't see this as discrimination whatsoever, but that's just my opinion.

[Adrenolize]

Can you get more mileage out of the phrase 'It takes a lot of balls', than in a situation where a cop gets busted (woops, not in gay porn) doing bondage videos then fighting the department on firing him.

Must....restrain...too....many...jokes...

Really, can we weed out the assholes (couldn't resist) that bring down the profession??

[Creeker]

I'm playing a bit of Devil's Advocate, while I try to recall where in my Application I might have been able to disclose this, if I were him...

I know it is against my morals as well as my predilections, but it isn't against his obviously... and it is not illegal, so can somebody help me out on this? It wouldn't have popped on a lie detector, either.

Maybe somebody forgot to do a Google Search when he was BI'ed...

[Darin]

I'm playing a bit of Devil's Advocate, while I try to recall where in my Application I might have been able to disclose this, if I were him...

I know it is against my morals as well as my predilections, but it isn't against his obviously... and it is not illegal, so can somebody help me out on this? It wouldn't have popped on a lie detector, either.

Maybe somebody forgot to do a Google Search when he was BI'ed...

I'm with Creeker on this. I've never seen on any application where you had to list porn movies and such. Sounds like he had a small role and wasn't an explicit role.

There could be more to it than was in the article since his firing was held up.

[Darin]

Talents that include tying himself up with rope one-handed, while holding the video camera in the other hand. People this perverted (straight or otherwise), who also happen to lie on their application, don't belong in a position of public trust, good riddance.

Unless you have seen this film, where did you get this info?

[Kimble]

Unless you have seen this film, where did you get this info?

Unless you know something I don't, what other "talents" would you assume to find from someone in gay bondage videos?

[retdetsgt]

Only in L.A.

Yeah, I bet there's more to it.

[Darin]

Unless you know something I don't, what other "talents" would you assume to find from someone in gay bondage videos?

You were the one with the very descriptive acts he did in the movie....you were very judgemental without knowing anything about this other than what was in the written article. Calling someone a pervert (although they may be) and saying they shouldn't be a cop over a media story? Really?

I still say there's way more to the story than what's written.

[retdetsgt]

I still say there's way more to the story than what's written.

Oh yeah. Firing a gay guy is just asking for a discrimination suit. There has to be more reasons to dump him. He's probably been a pain in the ass for some time. (No pun intended)

[Creeker]

Oh yeah. Firing a gay guy is just asking for a discrimination suit. There has to be more reasons to dump him. He's probably been a pain in the ass for some time. (No pun intended)

Oh come on, you are among friends... you can admit it.

BTW, I think this was Hollywood, Fla, based on the Miami byline... maybe the Union isn't as strong there.

Definitions of perversions are different across the country, wether I like it or not. My perversion, I am fairly certain, aren't his, since I am like 3rd Generation Amish.

[Kimble]

You were the one with the very descriptive acts he did in the movie....you were very judgemental without knowing anything about this other than what was in the written article. Calling someone a pervert (although they may be) and saying they shouldn't be a cop over a media story? Really?

My descriptions of his "talents" was an attempt at sarcasm, some got it, guess you didn't. You have your opinion and I have mine, agree to disagree.

Let's not forget he allegedly LIED on his application, which tends to get people in this field fired all the time.

[retdetsgt]

BTW, I think this was Hollywood, Fla, based on the Miami byline... maybe the Union isn't as strong there.

My mistake. I guess I just assumed it would have to be the W. coast if it was a porn movie.....

There's nothing illegal about porn unless it involves children, animals or unwilling participants. Personally, if it was a one time thing and he wasn't working steadily for the movie company, I don't see it as a big deal that it didn't go on his application.

I probably omitted the one time a guy paid me $20 to help him move some furniture. I doubt that would be very good grounds to have fired me.

Naw, I still bet they wanted to get rid of him for whatever reasons and this looked like a good excuse. And Creeker's right, with a good union they'd have a hell of a time firing him for that.

[Darin]

My mistake. I guess I just assumed it would have to be the W. coast if it was a porn movie.....

There's nothing illegal about porn unless it involves children, animals or unwilling participants. Personally, if it was a one time thing and he wasn't working steadily for the movie company, I don't see it as a big deal that it didn't go on his application.

I probably omitted the one time a guy paid me $20 to help him move some furniture. I doubt that would be very good grounds to have fired me.

Naw, I still bet they wanted to get rid of him for whatever reasons and this looked like a good excuse. And Creeker's right, with a good union they'd have a hell of a time firing him for that.

Right on the money.