"Girls Gone Wild" creator Joe Francis claims the jury is punishing him for not showing up to court.

Francis has been criticized for his remarks regarding the jury during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, in which he called the jury "mentally f--ing retarded."

Allegedly, during the interview, Francis shouted: "And if that jury wants to convict me because I didn't show up, which is the only reason why they did, then, you know, they should all be lined up and shot!"

Additionally, he said his success may also be a factor in the jury's decision to convict him: "I have private jets, I have a great life, I'm a good-looking guy. I'm not conceited, but like -- look, I have girls around me all the time, whatever I want. I make a lot of money. It's a great life. If I wasn't me, I'd f--ing hate me," said Francis.

Joe Francis, 40, may spend time in prison after being found guilty earlier this May on three counts of false imprisonment and one of assault, in association with a dispute involving three women in 2011, The Daily Mail reports. He could spend up to five years in prison, but Francis has stuck to his guns and continues to claim that he is innocent of such allegations.

Francis continued with his rant, accusing the jury of being unintelligent: "The problem with the jury system is that anyone who's not smart enough to come with an excuse to get out of jury duty doesn't get out...Only the stupidest of the stupidest people end up on juries, you know? I've never met a smart person who's done jury duty," he said.

Joe Francis received quite a bit of criticism on the Internet following his remarks. In response, he has had a rapid change of tone and recently issued an apology. He called his rants "appalling" and said he wanted to apologize to the jurors.

The apology is as follows, posted by The Hollywood Reporter:

"I deeply regret the remarks attributed to me in the interview with the Hollywood Reporter. They were hurtful and do not reflect my true feelings. While I disagree with the jury's verdict as I am completely innocent of the charges and intend to appeal, I was afforded a fair trial, and if I lose at the appellate level, I will reluctantly but fully accept the jury's verdict. This was a 6 hour interview with the Hollywood reporter where I detailed to the reporter all of the evidence and why I believed the evidence showed I am 100% innocent. The reporter also interviewed my attorney David Houston for over 3 hours, but failed to include one shred of evidence from the trial that proved beyond a reasonable doubt my innocence. I did NOT commit a crime at all whatsoever. All that was publicized were my most intemperate remarks that were borne out of frustration but with no intent to cause anyone harm. I am not, nor have I ever been a violent person. My comments are appalling, but anyone who has ever been wrongfully convicted of a crime that they did NOT commit would be as frustrated as I am. I want to apologize to all the jurors, the court, the City Attorney and my attorneys for my comments that were manipulated by the media, and please know I am truly ashamed of my conduct. I am truly, truly sorry. I hope everyone will understand I was not being serious and that I fully and deeply apologize for my remarks."