Joel Francis of Girls Gone Wild toying with the public over Ashley's Nude pictures

Girls Gone Wild smutmeister Joe Francis continues his game of tease with a shelved GGW video of Ashley Alexandra Dupre. The vid became a hot commodity after Gov. Eliot Spitzer was nailed for cavorting with the $1,000-an-hour prostitute.

Thirty-two screen caps from the tape have now turned up on the internet. They show Dupre, clearly nude, although her private parts are covered. She's frolicking in a shower and dancing at one of Francis's staged parties. Meanwhile, Dupre still remains underground, and no word about the photos has come from her purported lawyer, who issued a threatening statement a few weeks ago about unauthorized use of Dupre's MySpace photos. Which raises a question: Are Ashley and Joe in cahoots?

Francis is reporting giving away a DVD called Hookers Gone Wild that will feature Ashley Dupre. Francis apparently intends to give it away free with the premiere issue of his new mag. "We could release it on the internet. The problem with the internet, the minute we put it up there, even if we're charging, it's out," Francis told "E!" Entertainment television. If he doesn't want the tape out, then photos seem to be the next best thing to hype his mag.

Francis claims the video in question was shot in 2003 when Dupre spent her 18th birthday partying with the GGW bus crew. But according to other reports, Dupre may only have been 17, and thus underage when she was filmed. Even so, Francis claims, there is no law against a 17-year-old appearing nude as long as she is not being touched in an overtly sexual manner. And he's vowed to release the tape. Dupre's private parts, however, are covered in the photos, which prominently display the GGW logo.

Given the way events have unfolded and Francis's sudden boldness, it raises a question whether Dupre may be secretly collaborating with the porn peddler, who did a short stint in jail for releasing a tape of a minor. Since her escapades with Spitzer became public, Dupre has reportedly received dozens of offers worth millions of dollars to pose nude, or make public appearances. Donald Trump has even suggested a "My Fair Lady" makeover reality show in which Dupre would be the first guest.

For her part, Dupre has remained out of the spotlight. Some believe she may have been ordered to lay low while she provides testimony to federal authorities about the call-girl ring and Spitzer's involvement. Either way, the appearance of the photos keeps her in the spotlight for at least another week.