Porn Valley- Fred Salaff has been locked up in a Panamanian jail for nearly three weeks now. His crime? He acted as location manager for an overseas Devil’s Films shoot and allowed his home to be used for the location.

According to Chris Skeie, Salaff’s contact with the outside world, “Fred and three of the [male] European actors have been abandoned by Devil’s Films.” The production company has, as Skeie tells it, managed to get “the director, the cameraman and the director’s girlfriend-who was not performing in the film-released from jail and they’ve left the country.”

The tale started with a shoot for Devil’s Films at Salaff’s Panamanian house, which Skeie stresses, “is surrounded by a 10-foot tall concrete wall.” The official story holds that a group of minors were peeking over the over the fence which led to an initial charge of “corruption of minors.” However, Skeie believes the trouble really came from a female Panamanian performer who was upset to find her image on the Internet and complained to the authorities. Skeie insists that Salaff had all the proper model releases.

The corruption charge has now been changed to what Skeie is calling a “morals charge.” He also notes that pornography and prostitution are both legal in Panama.

“Fred and the three actors will have been in jail for three weeks on Sunday. It’s starting to affect their health. They have no running water and no toilet paper,” says Skeie. “Fred’s lawyer says he needs $4,000 to get Fred out. They could conceivably hold him for up to two years before a trial.”

So far, Skeie notes, some help has come from East Coast distributor Bill Brady, but Salaff is hoping once word gets out about the situation, others might be willing to offer to some assistance. Those interested in helping Salaff and the three actors to get released can contact Bill Brady or Chris Skeie who both have Panamanian bank accounts. “Bill’s put up $2,000 so far. People can send Bill money-he has an account here in Panama-or they could wire funds to my account.”