A Calabasas-based developer — who has allegedly moonlighted as an abusive porn director — has pleaded guilty to faking tax returns and failing to disclose false income on a bankruptcy petition.
Mark Handel, 68, agreed to plead guilty to two charges, one for filing a false statement during bankruptcy and a false tax return, according to a Department of Justice release on Monday.
From 2010 to 2017, Handel did not report about $6.9 million in income, according to a plea agreement.
In a 2015 bankruptcy petition, Handel also falsely said he had no income from 2013 to April 2015. But he earned about $2.3 million from his real estate development company, DTMM — which stands for “Don’t Touch My Money.”
Handel had registered DTMM in his wife’s name, but used the firm to pay for his own real estate expenses, according to the DOJ.
Handel has bought, sold and developed both commercial and residential real estate for more than 30 years. In Tujunga, he worked to build 229 single-family homes on the Verdugo Hills Golf Course and helped back a bill to help ease L.A. City zoning requirements and regulations
And an upcoming documentary has alleged he has maintained a separate career as one of the most violent operators in the hardcore porn industry.
Handel, who goes by the moniker Khan Tusion, has been called the “boogeyman” and “the Freddie Krueger” of porn, documentary filmmaker Lucas Heyne told The Daily Beast last year. Heyne is currently working on a documentary about Khan Tusion, named “Pariah.”
“He was known for being one of the most verbally abusive and physically abusive porn directors that’s ever existed,” he said.
Handel now faces up to eight years in prison, three years or supervised release and a fine of either $500,000 or the gross gain or loss resulting from his offense — whichever is greater.
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