December 11, 2012 | The Biz

Things getting messy for Manwin

Manwin, the company responsible for popular gay site men.com among many others, is running into some trouble in Europe.

Manwin Managing Partner Fabian Thylmann, 34, was arrested yesterday on charges of tax evasion in Germany.  He was arrested in Belgium after getting off a plane.

Computers have been seized, along with documents, from the company's offices in Hamburg.

"Mr. Thylmann currently sits in Belgium in protective custody," Belgian authorities explained, saying they were holding him on an arrest warrant signed in Cologne, Germany.

Manwin has offices around the world, though most staff are located in Montreal. It made untold millions operating tube sites and is now a very powerful player in the adult biz, operating many properties including Reality Kings, YouPorn, and, of course, men.com. 

Charges came after German journalists uncovered "irregularities in the company's structure." An expose scheduled to be published by Die Welt was put on hold when Thylmann received a preliminary injunction against the newspaper, but it's possible the investigation pushed authorities to take action.

Not everyone is saddened by the news. "Many is the time I told Fabian I would live to see him taken away in handcuffs," wrote porn blogger Mike South, gleefully. "The good [news] is I did, the bad [news] is it isn't for what he should have been arrested for, the good [news] is it's likely just the beginning. "

Manwin Chief Fabian Thylmann Arrested in Belgium [AVN]

Online Porn King Fabian Thylmann Arrested for Tax Evasion In Belgium [Gawker]