Michael Thevis
Michael George Thevis (February 25, 1932 – November 20, 2013) was a Greek American businessman and crime figure known as "The King of Pornography" and "The Sultan of Smut." Based in Atlanta, he made a fortune with peep-show machines, ran a music label, GRC Records, and had ties to organized crime families in New York and New Jersey.
Thevis was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, and raised by his Greek immigrant grandparents after his parents split. He dropped out of high school at 17, moved to Atlanta in 1951, finished high school there, briefly attended Georgia Tech, but left to run a newsstand. He married Joan at 19 and had five children: George, Christina, Tony, Stephanie, and Jason.
He carried out several violent crimes. In 1970 he killed rival Kenneth Hanna. In 1973, with Roger Underhill, he used a pipe bomb to murder Jimmy Mayes. In 1974 he faced charges for transporting obscene materials and conspiring to commit arson, related to a rival’s warehouse fire; he was convicted and sentenced to eight years. While in prison, Underhill secretly acted as an informer against him.
In 1978 Thevis escaped from a jail in New Albany, Indiana. He was captured in November 1978 in Connecticut while attempting a large cash withdrawal under a false identity. He and two associates were later convicted under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and sentenced to life in prison. His case drew support from Congressman Andrew Young, who helped secure medical attention for him. Thevis died in prison in Bayport, Minnesota, on November 20, 2013.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 12:18 (CET).