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Robert D. Zicari (born August 5, 1974), also known as Rob Black, is an American pornographer,
entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...
,
podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...
er and
professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
promoter. Together with his then-wife Janet "Lizzy Borden" Romano, he owned the porn company ''
Extreme Associates Extreme Associates, formerly known as Extreme and Extreme 2.0, is a pornographic film production company, featuring a catalog of DVD titles and Internet content. It is owned by Rob Zicari ("Rob Black") and his former wife Janet Romano ("Lizzy Bo ...
''. Zicari was prosecuted for distribution of
obscenity An obscenity is any utterance or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is derived from the Latin ''obscēnus'', ''obscaenus'', "boding ill; disgusting; indecent", of uncertain etymology. Such loaded language can be use ...
by the
United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...
in 2004. The case was dismissed but was reinstated upon appeal in 2005. Zicari entered into a plea agreement with the government in 2009, ending the case.


Career

Zicari became a porn director in the mid-1990s. His former porn company ''Extreme Video'' was started in 1993/1994. In 1998, he founded the porn company,
Extreme Associates Extreme Associates, formerly known as Extreme and Extreme 2.0, is a pornographic film production company, featuring a catalog of DVD titles and Internet content. It is owned by Rob Zicari ("Rob Black") and his former wife Janet Romano ("Lizzy Bo ...
, together with fellow porn directors
Tom Byron Tom Byron (born Thomas Bryan Taliaferro Jr.; April 4, 1961) is an American former pornographic actor, director and producer. A member of the XRCO and the AVN Halls of Fame, he was voted #20 in AVN's list of top 50 pornstars of all time. Earl ...
and Van Damage and porn star
Tiffany Mynx Tiffany Mynx is an American former pornographic actress and film director. She is a member of the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame. Adult film career Mynx has starred in more than 400 porn movies and has directed ''The Toe Story''. She was induct ...
(who have since left the company). Janet Romano started to work for him in the same year, first as an actress and then as a director. His work often involved scenes considered egregious and extreme even by other members of the pornography industry, such as adult performers acting as young girls, or a simulated rape of a disabled person in a wheelchair in ''Miscreants'' (1997). Black appeared as himself in the documentary film Sex: The Annabel Chong Story (1999). Beginning in 2000, Zicari and AVN Magazine engaged in a "propaganda war" against one another, and as a result, Black's products were not reviewed or advertised in that trade magazine for several years. In 2001, Zicari (as Rob Black) unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Los Angeles, receiving 789 votes. Zicari owns and operates the American Cheeseburger restaurant. In addition, Zicari owns and operates Extreme Gifts, a store specializing in adult and marijuana products.


Obscenity prosecution

The filming of Lizzy Borden's movie '' Forced Entry'', which included several simulated rapes, was covered in the ''
PBS Frontline ''Frontline'' (stylized as FRONTLINE) is an investigative documentary program distributed by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States. Episodes are produced at WGBH in Boston, Massachusetts. The series has covered a variety ...
'' documentary ''American Porn'' (2002); the makers of the documentary were repulsed and walked off the set. The filming of the movie was also a part of documentary produced for BBC 2 hosted by Louis Theroux which follows various figures of the porn industry. Theroux also leaves the set in a similar manner to that of the PBS documentary. After, Zicari was interviewed in the documentary and challenged
Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
John Ashcroft John David Ashcroft (born May 9, 1942) is an American lawyer, lobbyist and former politician who served as the 79th U.S. Attorney General in the George W. Bush administration from 2001 to 2005. A former U.S. Senator from Missouri and the 50th ...
. These scenes possibly led to the subsequent undercover operation by federal authorities. In April 2003, the premises of
Extreme Associates Extreme Associates, formerly known as Extreme and Extreme 2.0, is a pornographic film production company, featuring a catalog of DVD titles and Internet content. It is owned by Rob Zicari ("Rob Black") and his former wife Janet Romano ("Lizzy Bo ...
were raided by federal agents. Zicari, his then wife Lizzy Borden and his company were indicted for distributing
obscene An obscenity is any utterance or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is derived from the Latin ''obscēnus'', ''obscaenus'', "boding ill; disgusting; indecent", of uncertain etymology. Such loaded language can be use ...
pornographic materials. The case is ''
United States v. Extreme Associates ''United States v. Extreme Associates'', 431 F.3d 150 (3rd Cir. 2005), is a 2005 Law of the United States, U.S. law case revolving around issues of obscenity. Extreme Associates, a pornography company owned by Rob Zicari and his wife Lizzy Borden ...
''. Zicari's company is located in Northridge near
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, but the trial took place in
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, from where under-cover agents had ordered the offending materials. Zicari remained in business during the trial; he continued to market and sell the five tapes that are at the center of the prosecution as ''The Federal Five'', with a portion of the sales price going to his defense fund. Note that buyers of those materials do not break the law, since mere possession of obscenity (unlike production and distribution) is not illegal. In April 2004, Zicari engaged in a public dispute with fellow pornographer
Larry Flynt Larry Claxton Flynt Jr. (; November 1, 1942 – February 10, 2021) was an American publisher and the president of Larry Flynt Publications (LFP). LFP mainly produces pornographic magazines, such as ''Hustler'', pornographic videos, and three por ...
, who also had to fight various obscenity trials in the past. Zicari asked the adult industry for financial support to aid in his defense; Flynt declined, saying that he only promotes consensual sex and that Zicari's actions harmed the industry as a whole. Zicari's lawyer H. Louis Sirkin initially argued that laws against the distribution of obscenity were unconstitutional since people have a right to own obscenity, but this argument was rebuffed on appeal. After 6 years of legal costs, Black and his wife both pleaded guilty to the reinstated federal obscenity charges in hopes to avoid more extensive loss and penalties if they lost at actual trial. Zicari and his wife were both sentenced to one year and one day in prison on July 1, 2009. In late September the couple began serving their prison sentences, Zicari at La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution in Texas and his wife at Waseca Federal Correctional Institution in Minnesota. Instead of reporting to the intended minimum-security satellite facility, Zicari mistakenly reported to the prison's primary facility, where officials placed him in
solitary confinement Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which the inmate lives in a single cell with little or no meaningful contact with other people. A prison may enforce stricter measures to control contraband on a solitary prisoner and use additi ...
for nearly a month because it "was the only space they had available". In March 2013, Zicari revealed on his radio show, The Rob Black Show, that he was actually placed in solitary because he was mistakenly designated as a sex offender because of the obscenity charges.


Xtreme Pro Wrestling

In 1999, Zicari and Tom Byron founded the XPW
professional wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to the rules of the amateur olympic form. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails man ...
. He appeared on shows as the owner as well as a manager under the name of Rob Black. His heel (bad guy) stable was called the "Black Army" and featured wrestlers such as
John Kronus George B. Caiazzo (January 13, 1969 – July 18, 2007) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, John Kronus, and later simply Kronus. Caiazzo worked for Extreme Championship Wrestling, the United States Wrestling Asso ...
,
Terry Funk Terrence Funk (born June 30, 1944) is an American retired professional wrestler, rapper, disc jockey and actor. Funk is known for the longevity of his career – which spanned more than 50 years and included multiple short-lived retirements – a ...
,
Abdullah the Butcher Lawrence Robert Shreve (born January 11, 1941), better known by the ring name Abdullah the Butcher, is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He has a reputation for being involved in some of the most violent and bloody hardcore wrestling matc ...
, and
Juventud Guerrera Eduardo Aníbal González Hernández (born November 23, 1974) is a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Juventud "Juvi" Guerrera. Guerrera is best known for his appearances with the Mexican professional wrestling promot ...
. XPW folded in 2003 because of issues related to the obscenity prosecution, and in 2004 Zicari sold the company's footage to Xtreme Entertainment Group. In 2012, Zicari regained control and ownership of XPW. Zicari relaunched XPW in 2021, after
Dark Side of the Ring ''Dark Side of the Ring'' is a Canadian documentary television series produced by Vice Studios. The series focuses on controversial subjects and events within the realm of professional wrestling. Series overview Episodes Season 1 (2019) Seas ...
aired its XPW episode in Season 3.


The Rob Black Show

In March 2013, Zicari launched ''The Rob Black Show'' on Blog Talk Radio. The Daily Beast called him "Porn's Dirty Whistleblower" for revealing unsafe practices on set, business arrangements that exploit performers and common sidelines such as porn talent agents working their charges on escort sites.


References


External links

*
Rob Black
at the Adult Film Database
Zicari's statement on the raid and the continued availability of the tapes
(archived)
Dispute between Zicari and Flynt

Report on November 2004 hearing

Dismissal of ''U.S. v. Extreme Associates''

Ruling of the Court of Appeals
reinstating the case against Zicari

* Interview of Rob Zicari by avninsider.com
part 1part 2

American Porn
documentary by
Frontline Front line refers to the forward-most forces on a battlefield. Front line, front lines or variants may also refer to: Books and publications * ''Front Lines'' (novel), young adult historical novel by American author Michael Grant * ''Frontlines ...
(first aired in 2002, updated in 2004), watchable online. {{DEFAULTSORT:Zicari, Rob 1974 births People from the San Fernando Valley Businesspeople from Rochester, New York Living people American pornographic film directors American pornographic film producers Professional wrestling promoters