Local News in Brief : Prison for Film Distributor

The former president of a Northridge sex film company has pleaded guilty in federal court in Memphis, Tenn., to shipping obscene materials across state lines was immediately sentenced to four months in prison and ordered to never work in the sex film industry again.

Jeff Steinman, 30, of Canyon Country was president of Essex Video, a bankrupt company police say was once one of the three largest producers and distributors of pornographic films in the nation. Under an agreement with the Justice Department, Steinman pleaded guilty Thursday in exchange for a lighter sentence.

Judge Julia Gibbons also imposed a fine of $100,000 and placed Steinman on two years probation after his release.

Essex filed for bankruptcy three weeks ago, leaving in its wake nearly 100 creditors.

At its peak, Essex reportedly had 65 employees and annual sales of $40 million. Critics said it failed largely because it produced too many films--about 30 a year--and paid its performers high salaries.