Austrian businessman Bernd Bergmair built his fortune in the shadows of Pornhub’s parent MindGeek while victims and activists accused the group of profiting from sex trafficking and child sexual abuse material. Now, as Reuters links him to a bid for Lukoil’s sanctioned assets, new questions arise over how porn profits may be recycled into Russian oil.
Background
Bernd Bergmair‘s estimated net worth is estimated at approximately $1.5 to $2 billion in various reports. However, this figure should be treated with caution, as it is based on valuations of MindGeek prior to the major scandals and the sale to Ethical Capital Partners (ECP) in 2023. He held the majority of shares through a complex network of shell companies (including in Luxembourg and Cyprus).
Austrian investigative platform Wiener Zocker has spotlighted a name that until recently stayed in the shadows: Austrian businessman Bernd Bergmair, long described by media investigations as the former majority owner of Pornhub’s parent MindGeek, now rebranded as Aylo (Sources: Wiener Zocker, Wikipedia).
According to a recent Reuters exclusive, Bergmair has approached the U.S. Treasury about buying the international assets of sanctioned Russian oil major Lukoil, a portfolio of refineries, oil-field stakes and fuel stations worth an estimated $22 billion and managed from Vienna (Source: Reuters).
From secret porn mogul to would-be oil baron
Raised near Linz and later working as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, Bergmair built a low-profile fortune via a complex network of holding companies that controlled MindGeek, the Luxembourg-based conglomerate behind Pornhub, RedTube and YouPorn. His identity as the group’s principal owner was first widely reported in 2020–21 by the Financial Times and others, prompting political scrutiny in Canada.Wikipedia+1
MindGeek/Aylo has since faced an avalanche of civil lawsuits and class actions in the U.S. and Canada. Plaintiffs allege that the company knowingly hosted and monetised non-consensual videos, including child sexual abuse material, and violated federal sex-trafficking and child-pornography laws (Sources: GovInfo, The New Yorker). MindGeek denies the allegations but has responded to public pressure by deleting unverified content and tightening uploader verification and moderation.
Laila Mickelwait and the #Traffickinghub campaign
A central figure in the global backlash is U.S. anti-trafficking advocate Laila Mickelwait (@LaileMickelwait), founder of the #Traffickinghub movement. Her campaign and petition accuse Pornhub/MindGeek of “enabling, distributing and profiting from rape, child sexual abuse [and] sex trafficking” (Source: traffickinghubpetition.com, NCOSE) On X, she has called MindGeek/Aylo “one of the most vile, exploitative and criminal organizations in the world” and said the harm to children and lives “shattered for profit … are incalculable” (Source: Post on X, Post on X).
Mickelwait also used social media to publicly identify Bergmair as the previously hidden majority owner of Pornhub, breaking the anonymity that offshore structures had long provided him (Post on X, Post on X).
Ethical Capital Partners and open ownership questions
In March 2023, Canadian private-equity firm Ethical Capital Partners (ECP) acquired MindGeek and later rebranded it as Aylo. ECP, chaired by businessman Rocco Meliambro and fronted by criminal-defence lawyer and rabbi Solomon Friedman, presents itself as a compliance- and trust-and-safety-driven owner seeking to reform the company (Source: ECP).
Transaction terms and seller identities were not disclosed. Public reporting and Reuters now describe Bergmair as the former majority owner, and ECP says previous owners no longer hold interests (Source: Reuters).
FinTelegram has found no public evidence that Bergmair retains a stake in Aylo via ECP or related funds, but the opacity of private-equity structures leaves room for continued speculation.
Key Findings on MindGeek/Aylo Legal Exposure
Jurisdictional Coverage:
The company and its executives face coordinated legal action across three primary jurisdictions:
- USA — Multiple federal district courts (California Central, California Northern, Eastern District of New York), FTC administrative proceedings, state-level actions (Utah), and related criminal prosecutions of trafficking partners
- Canada — Quebec Superior Court class action, federal Privacy Commissioner investigation, and ongoing regulatory oversight following private equity acquisition
- International — Potential exposure through corporate structure (Luxembourg headquarters, Cyprus entities, Ireland profit routing)
Key Defendants Named in Litigation:
- Bernd Bergmair — Identified as majority owner and “over-boss” of alleged criminal enterprise in USA racketeering complaints; previously kept identity hidden; named in California and Quebec lawsuits
- Feras Antoon — CEO; named as co-conspirator in organized crime allegations
- David Tassillo — Executive; named in sex trafficking complaints
- Corey Urman — VP Product Management; named in Quebec class action
- Corporate entities — MindGeek S.à.r.l. (Luxembourg), MindGeek USA Inc., MG Freesites Ltd. (Cyprus), Aylo Holdings (current name)
Allegations Pattern:
All jurisdictions allege similar core violations:
- Hosting CSAM — Videos depicting minors in sexual abuse situations
- Sex trafficking facilitation — Knowing profiting from coerced/fraudulent content (especially GirlsDoPorn partnership, 2011-2019)
- Non-consensual content — Intimate images/videos uploaded without consent; failure to honor removal requests
- Deceptive marketing — False claims about content safety and moderation
Financial Exposure:
| Action | Amount | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Canada Class Action | $600 million+ | Pending class certification |
| FTC Settlement | $15 million | Finalized Sept 2025 ($5M paid immediately) |
| US DPA (DOJ) | $1.84 million | Finalized Dec 2023 |
| California Settlements | Confidential | Multiple closed (terms not disclosed) |
| GirlsDoPorn Civil Awards | $13 million | To victims (2020) |
No Strafrechtliche Verurteilung (Criminal Convictions) of MindGeek/Aylo Itself:
Notably, while individual GirlsDoPorn operators received federal prison sentences, no criminal conviction has been obtained directly against MindGeek/Aylo as a corporate entity. Instead, the company has used deferred prosecution agreements and civil settlements to resolve matters without formal criminal adjudication — a common corporate enforcement approach for large entities.
Reputation-laundering in Nigeria?
In November 2024, the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) in Nigeria awarded Bergmair an honorary Doctor of Business Administration for his “achievements” and the donation of a large solar power plant to the Faculty of Management Sciences (Source: The Guardian Nigeria). The honour stands in sharp contrast to the unresolved allegations surrounding MindGeek/Aylo and its former control structure.
With Bergmair now reportedly eyeing sanctioned Lukoil assets from his base in London and Vienna, questions multiply: Who are his partners and financiers? How, if at all, are past MindGeek profits being recycled into strategic energy deals? And what did key executives know and do during the years when illegal content allegedly flourished on MindGeek platforms?
FinTelegram, together with Wiener Zocker, will continue to investigate. Insiders, victims, employees, bankers or advisors with knowledge of Bernd Bergmair’s structures and deals are invited to contact us confidentially via our whistleblower platform Whistle42.
