A federal judge in Los Angeles has released "Girls Gone Wild" video entrepreneur Joe Francis from house arrest and delayed his trial on tax evasion charges.

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U.S. District Judge S. James Otero announced his decision at a court hearing Wednesday, said a spokesman for Francis's company, Mantra Films Inc., that produces the sexually titillating videos.

The federal judge had kept Francis, 35, in custody overnight and then imposed house arrest after he arrived several hours late for a Feb. 3 court appearance. Francis, who faces two felony tax evasion counts, had the flu, the Mantra representative said.

His doctor was present in court Wednesday and submitted a letter verifying Francis's illness and treatment. Otero then dropped the house arrest and electronic monitoring requirements.

At the same hearing, Francis switched defense teams, replacing the Bernhoft law firm with John Vandevelde and Janet Levine of Crowell & Moring.

"I look forward to being vindicated when the case goes to trial and putting these absurd allegations permanently to rest," Francis said in a statement. "I am tired of being singled out and criminalized by the government because of what I do for a living. This is not a case about tax evasion; it's simply another attempt to prosecute Joe Francis for being the creator of 'Girls Gone Wild.'"

The judge did restrict Francis's travel to the seven-county district that includes Los Angeles and pushed back his trial from March 31 to July 7 to give his new attorneys time to prepare, E! Online reported.