By Aaron Miller-
Porn actor Ron Jeremy has been formally charged with the rape or sexual assault of 21 women and girls, US prosecutors said Wednesday.
He was indicted on more than 30 counts of sexual assault involving over 20 victims, the allegations dating back over the last 20 years.
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The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that the indictment had replaced the criminal complaint from last year.
Jeremy, whose real name is Ronald Jeremy Hyatt, was investigated and charged by a district attorney’s task force formed to take on sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry as the #MeToo era gained momentum in late 2017
A grand jury returned the indictment on 19 August after considering all the accusations from the 2020 charges, according to authorities. He has remained in jail since being arrested last summer on $6.6m (£4.8m) bail.
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His attorney, Stuart Goldfarb, said Jeremy is “innocent on all charges”
Jeremy, who has appeared in more than 1,700 X-rated films since the 1970s, has been at the centre of criminal allegations within the adult industry for years.
In June 2020 he was accused of raping three women and sexually assaulting a fourth.
The latest charges date back to 1996 and involve 21 alleged victims between the ages of 15 and 51, Los Angeles county prosecutor George Gascon said Wednesday.
Jeremy, who has previously declared himself “innocent” on Twitter, denied all charges. He faces life in prison if convicted.
The 68-year-old — whose real name is Ronald Jeremy Hyatt — appeared in famous adult movies including “Deep Throat II” and “John Wayne Bobbitt Uncut.
Jeremy pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of forcible rape, seven counts of forcible oral copulation, six counts of sexual battery by restraint, four counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object, two counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious or asleep person and one count each of lewd act upon a child under the age of 14 or 15, sodomy by use of force and assault with intent to commit rape.
Prosecutors allege Jeremy – born Ronald Jeremy Hyatt – restrained some of the women and raped or sodomized them – and had sex with others who were sleeping or unconscious.
Jeremy, 68, pleaded not guilty to charges including 12 counts of forcible rape, seven counts of forcible oral copulation and six counts of sexual battery by restraint, DA George Gascón said in the press release.
He has been held on a $6.6 million bail at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles County since his arrest in June 2020, jail records show. He is scheduled to return to court on October 12 for a pretrial conference.
Jeremy was also charged with four counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object and two counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious or asleep person.
Further charges included one count each of lewd act upon a child under the age of 14 or 15, sodomy by use of force and assault with intent to commit rape.
Porn star Ron Jeremy has been indicted on 30 charges for the alleged sexual assault and forcible rape of 21 women and girls, some as young as 15 years old
Porn star Ron Jeremy has been indicted on 30 charges for the alleged sexual assault and forcible rape of 21 women and girls, some as young as 15 years old
rcible oral copulation and six counts of sexual battery by restraint +6
Jeremy, 68, pleaded not guilty to charges including 12 counts of forcible rape, seven counts of forcible oral copulation and six counts of sexual battery by restraint
Sodomy
Prosecutors allege Jeremy – born Ronald Jeremy Hyatt – restrained some of the women and raped or sodomized them – and had sex with others who were sleeping or unconscious
Gascón said Jeremy’s alleged sexual assaults happened over the course of more than 23 years and involved 21 victims ranging in age from 15 to 51.
Jeremy is alleged to have sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl referred to as ‘Jane Doe 5’ on June 12, 2004, penetrating her with a foreign object, according to the August 19 indictment obtained by
Another girl, 17, was allegedly raped in 2008 at a home in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. She was referred to as ‘Jane Doe 22’ in the court documents.
Among the first allegations against Jeremy is the rape of a 19-year-old woman during a photo shoot in the San Fernando Valley in October 1996.
Prosecutors say he later raped a 26-year-old woman at a party in a nightclub in Los Angeles County in October 2000.
Jeremy also allegedly sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl referred to as ‘Jane Doe 5’ on June 12, 2004, penetrating her with a foreign object, according to the August 19 indictment.
Isolation
“Far too often, survivors of sexual assault suffer in isolation,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in the release. “We must ensure that survivors have all options available to help with recovery, including trauma-informed services for healing and support to report such crimes.”
The indictment, which was returned Aug. 19 and unsealed Wednesday, covers allegations dating from 1996 to 2020 with victims aged 15 to 51. The counts appear to be identical to charges filed against Jeremy last year, which he also denied.
In a tactical move also employed in their case against Harvey Weinstein, LA County prosecutors used secret grand jury proceedings to get an indictment that replaces the original charges, allowing them to skip a public preliminary hearing on the evidence and proceed to trial.
Alleged victims include a 19-year-old woman who was raped during a photo shoot in the San Fernando Valley; a 26-year-old woman who was raped at a party in a nightclub; a 38-year-old who was sexually assaulted at a West Hollywood bar where Jeremy was a regular; a woman who was sexually assaulted at Jeremy’s home and a woman who was assaulted at a strip club.
The most recent incident allegedly occurred on Jan. 1, 2020, when Jeremy was accused of sexually assaulting a 21-year-old woman outside a business in Hollywood.
Nicknamed “The Hedgehog,” Jeremy has been among the best-known and most prolific performers in the adult film industry since the 1970s.
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