Max Hardcore

Max Hardcore
Born:	August 10, 1956 (per entertainment biographical databases; birth year 1956 corroborated) Racine, Wisconsin (per biographical databases; unverified against primary record)
Charges:	10 federal obscenity counts: 5 counts of transporting obscene matter by interactive computer service (internet) and 5 counts of mailing obscene matter; company MaxWorld Entertainment Inc. also convicted
Sentence:	46 months federal prison + 3 years supervised release + $7,500 fine + forfeiture (obscene films, profits, and domain names incl. MaxHardcore.com); later reduced to 41 months on 2011 resentencing
Released:	July 19, 2011 (BOP release; to Long Beach, CA halfway house Jan 2011, final months on home confinement)
Facility:	FCI La Tuna (low-security)
Status:	Deceased (died March 27, 2023, Los Angeles); federal sentence completed 2011

Paul F. Little (August 10, 1956, March 27, 2023), known professionally as "Max Hardcore," was an American adult-film producer, director, and performer convicted in 2008 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida of ten federal obscenity counts for distributing sexually explicit videos over the internet and by U.S. mail. He and his company MaxWorld Entertainment Inc. were found guilty by a Tampa jury in June 2008; Little was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison (later reduced to 41 months). He served his time principally at the low-security Federal Correctional Institution, La Tuna in Anthony, Texas, and was released on July 19, 2011. He died on March 27, 2023, at age 66.

Early Life and Career

Born Paul F. Little in 1956, he had a commonly reported birth date of August 10, 1956, in Racine, Wisconsin, per entertainment biographical databases, though this is not confirmed against a primary record. He entered the adult-entertainment business under the stage name 'Max Hardcore', rising to prominence in the early 1990s, and operated his production company MaxWorld Entertainment Inc. The company was marketed via the domain MaxHardcore.com.

Criminal Case

In 2007, Little and MaxWorld Entertainment Inc. were indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida (Tampa Division) on obscenity charges arising from the distribution of five video titles. The indictment included five counts of transporting obscene matter by interactive computer service (internet) and five counts of mailing obscene matter. The prosecution was brought by the Justice Department's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) together with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida. The case (No. 8:07-cr-00170) tested whether internet-distributed hardcore material could be judged obscene under the local community standard of the district where it was received.

Trial and Sentencing

A twelve-person jury in Tampa convicted Little and MaxWorld Entertainment on all counts in June 2008. On October 3, 2008, U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew sentenced Little to 46 months in federal prison, 3 years of supervised release, a $7,500 fine, and forfeiture of the obscene films, the gross profits from their distribution, and the internet domain names used in the business. MaxWorld Entertainment Inc. was fined $75,000 and placed on five years of probation. On appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the conviction was upheld. Little prevailed on a single sentencing point, and on resentencing (reported as February 28, 2011) his term was reduced from 46 to 41 months.

Incarceration

Little began serving his sentence on January 29, 2009. He was initially held at a federal facility in the Los Angeles area before being transferred to FCI La Tuna (low-security), a low-security men's facility in Anthony, Texas. He was assigned BOP register number 44902-112. Contemporaneous reporting of his release confirmed this association with the La Tuna facility. In January 2011, he was moved to a halfway house in Long Beach, California, and served the final portion of his sentence on home confinement.

Release and Aftermath

The Federal Bureau of Prisons released Little on July 19, 2011, after which he served a term of supervised release reported as 36 months. He returned to the adult-entertainment industry in a limited capacity. Little died on March 27, 2023, in Los Angeles at age 66. Press reporting attributed his death to septic shock and pneumonia amid a battle with thyroid cancer, a detail derived from news accounts rather than a coroner record.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What did Max Hardcore do?

Paul F. Little, known as Max Hardcore, was an adult-film producer convicted in 2008 of ten federal obscenity counts in the Middle District of Florida for distributing sexually explicit videos over the internet and by U.S. mail. His company, MaxWorld Entertainment Inc., was convicted alongside him.

Q: How long was Max Hardcore's sentence?

He was sentenced on October 3, 2008 to 46 months in federal prison, plus 3 years of supervised release, a $7,500 fine, and forfeiture. On appeal and resentencing, the term was reduced to 41 months.

Q: Where was Max Hardcore incarcerated?

He served most of his sentence at the low-security Federal Correctional Institution, La Tuna in Anthony, Texas (BOP register number 44902-112), after initially being held at a federal facility in the Los Angeles area.

Q: When was Max Hardcore released?

The Federal Bureau of Prisons released him on July 19, 2011. He had begun his sentence on January 29, 2009, was moved to a Long Beach, California halfway house in January 2011, and completed the final portion under home confinement.

Q: When did Max Hardcore die?

Paul Little died on March 27, 2023, in Los Angeles at age 66. News reports cited septic shock and pneumonia amid a thyroid-cancer battle.

See also

• Index of Federal Prison Facilities
• FCI La Tuna (low-security)