“Girls Gone Wild” creator Joe Francis, who was arrested Monday afternoon for failing to show up in time for a hearing in his tax evasion case, was released from custody and placed under house arrest.

The 35-year-old, who claimed he arrived five hours late because he was “as sick as can be,” was released from federal custody on Tuesday after his doctor provided evidence Francis was indeed too ill to make an appearance in court Monday.

The adult-video entrepreneur, who pleaded not guilty to two counts of federal tax evasion,  is being accused of unlawfully deducting more than $20 million in bogus business expenses on his 2002 and 2003 corporate tax returns.

In a statement issued after his release, Francis claimed he was down with the flu, and unsuccessfully sought a delay in Monday's hearing.

“I was sick with the flu yesterday, and I showed up a few hours late to court,” the statement read. “I turned myself in, and they held me overnight and released me today. I have a note from the doctor, and everything is worked out.”

Francis, who built his fortune selling videos that feature young women, usually drunk, who bare their breasts, was previously jailed for nearly a year on charges that he filmed two 17-year-old girls.

He still faces four felony and two misdemeanor charges — all that remain from an initial 73-count indictment stemming from the spring break filming. His lawyers contend the underage women lied about their ages to an independent camera operator, and that none of the footage was used.