Gay porn actor reveals his ties to David Geffen and says he 'fears for his safety' - as his male escort friend is found guilty of $1.4m extortion plot

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A gay porn actor and male escort testified in court that he had a connection to billionaire philanthropist David Geffen but did not wish to elaborate out of fear for his own safety.

Justin Griggs brought up the mogul's name while appearing as a government witness in the trial of another paid escort, Teofil Brank, who was charged with blackmailing telecommunications executive and Republican donor Donald Burns out of $500,000 in cash and a luxury car in exchange for keeping the details of their sexual trysts a secret.

On Thursday, the 25-year-old defendant was found guilty of extortion and other federal charges in Los Angeles.

Name-dropping: Gay porn actor and male escort Justin Griggs (left) testified in court that he feared for his safety after telling FBI agents that he had ties to billionaire David Geffen (right)

Shakedown plot: Griggs took the stand in Los Angeles Thursday as a witness for the prosecution in the extortion trial of male escort Teofil Brank (pictured) 

Prosecutors said Brank, who uses the stage name Jarec Wentworth, forced the California telecom mogul to turn over the money and title to an Audi.

David Geffen, the 72-year-old film studio executive and music producer with a net worth of $6.9billion, has not been charged with any crime in connection to the extortion case, and he appears to have no ties to Donald Burns.

As a witness for the prosecution, Justin Griggs dropped the entertainment mogul's name during his cross-examination by Teofil Brank's defense attorney, Ashfaq Chowdhury, reported The Smoking Gun. 

During his testimony in US District Court in Los Angeles Thursday, Griggs said that Donald Burns, 51, flew him and other escorts out to his homes in Nantucket and Palm Beach to take part in sex romps.

‘It was really just hanging out, surfing, grilling out, going to dinner, and then we would have sex - group sex,’ Griggs said from the stand.

The morning after, Griggs told the jury, Burns gave his male sex partners envelopes stuffed with cash.

When the defense lawyer inquired of Griggs if his wealthy client had also footed the bill for his dental work, Griggs responded that the funds came 'from another friend of mine.'

During his interview with FBI agents before the trial, Griggs stated that he did not wish to provide details about his mystery benefactor 'because he was very powerful' and the male escort said he feared for his own safety.

When Chowdhury pressed Griggs to reveal the identity of his wealthy sponsor in court Thursday, the porn actor replied, ‘David Geffen.’

The testimony did not make it expressly clear whether Geffen was the person who paid for Griggs' dental work.

The defense attorney then quickly moved on to other matters and Geffen's name was not mentioned again in court.

The 72-year-old founder of Geffen Records and the co-founder of DreamWorks SKG is openly gay. In 2007, Out magazine ranked Geffen first in its list of the 50 'Most Powerful Gay Men and Women in America.'

Donald Burns, who by some estimates has a net worth of $250million, has long been a staunch supporter of conservative causes offering contributions to Jeb Bush and former Florida Governor Charlie Christ. 

But the wealthy businessman also has been known to provide assistance to LGBTQ groups.     

In 2008, he donated $400,000 to Florida Red and Blue, an organization that had fought to lifting the ban on same-sex marriage in Florida, reported the New Times of Broward-Palm Beach. 

Hush money: Investigators said Brank tried to exact the ownership of a condo and $1 million in cash from Burns

The multimillionaire was a co-founder of the Telco Communications Group and is chairman of Internet phone company Magicjack.

Teofil Brank was found guilty Thursday of six felony counts in the extortion case. It took the jury two hours of deliberations to reach the verdict, according to the Courthouse News Service. 

The 25-year-old native of Romania appeared shaken and on the verge of tears after hearing the ruling. He faces up to 53 years in prison when he is sentenced in September.

Brank was arrested in a sting operation by the FBI in Los Angeles March 4.

Investigators said he tried to exact the ownership of a condo and $1million in cash from donald Burns, who initially had been identified in court documents only by his initials, D.B. 

In a March 20 indictment, Brank was charged with felony extortion by threatening to injure someone's reputation. He faces up to two years in prison. 

In text messages to the victim, Brank threatened to post photos and other details of Burns' sexual escapades through his Twitter account, according to the affidavit.

Prosecutors said the accused published a damaging comment online about the the telecom tycoon, then removed it, the LA Times reported. 

Mystery benefactor: Griggs has told FBI agents that a wealthy friend had paid for his dental work but declined to name him. In court, the male escort said the friend was the co-founder of DreamWorks SKG (right)

Love for hire: The porn actor told jurors that Donald Burns flew him and other young men out to his homes in Nantucket and Palm Beach for group sex sessions 

The porn star wrote in text messages to Burns in February: 'I'm just going to bite hard. I want a new car,motorcycle and both hands full of cash.'

'I do have a twitter and your photos. Lies can be made or maybe it's the truth.' 

He went on: 'Check my twitter, the conversation will grown [sic] and questions will be asked. You lied to me and treated me like s***. I asked again and you put it behind you. Now it's biting your a**' 

Donald Burns' attorneys contacted the FBI and Brank was arrested in a sting operation at a Starbucks where the porn star had made demands to be given cash and the title for an Audi R8 worth $180,000.

Brank was found in possession of a Colt Magnum revolver and six rounds of ammunition on his arrest.  

Geffen, 72, is openly gay. In 2007, Out magazine ranked Geffen first in its list of the 50 'Most Powerful Gay Men and Women in America'