Warning: This article may be triggering for some readers. Please read at your own discretion.
Veteran porn star Ron Jeremy was charged with eight individual counts of sexual misconduct on Tuesday after allegedly raping three women and assaulting another in separate incidents dating back to 2014.
The charges — which include sexual battery and forcible oral copulation — were confirmed on Tuesday, by Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey in an official press release.
On top of being charged with sexual battery and forcible oral copulation, Jeremy has been charged with three counts of forcible rape and three of forcible penetration by a foreign object.
The first of four unnamed women, or “Jane Does,” accused Jeremy, 67, of forcibly raping her at her Hollywood home when she was 25, back in 2014
Additionally, Jeremy allegedly assaulted two of the women at the same West Hollywood bar in 2017 on separate occasions. The accusers are aged 33 and 46.
The actor, who has performed in more than 2,000 pornographic films, was also accused of forcibly raping a 30-year-old woman at the very same bar last July.
The District Attorney’s Office received another claim against Jeremy, however, declined it due to insufficient evidence stemming from an incident in 2016.
Jeremy’s arraignment is currently scheduled for the afternoon of June 23 in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
If convicted, the actor, born Ronald Jeremy Hyatt, reportedly faces a potential maximum sentence of 90 years to life in state prison.
The prosecutors — including Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson of the Sex Crimes Division — have recommended bail for Jeremy be set at US$6.6 million, according to Lacey’s statement.
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Thompson has also been leading the sexual assault case against convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein, who is currently serving a 23-year sentence in prison after being convicted on two charges of rape in the third degree and a criminal sex act.
In 2017, Jeremy responded to a report from Rolling Stone which detailed a myriad of other sexual misconduct allegations pitted against him from more than a dozen women — some of whom also worked alongside him in the adult film industry.
Speaking with Rolling Stone, Jeremy denied them all.
“These allegations are pure lies or buyers remorse. I have never raped anyone,” he told the outlet.
Dante Rusciolelli, the owner of the Golden Artists Entertainment talent agency, told Global News that Jeremy had “showed us proof against the allegations” reported by Rolling Stone in 2017, on Tuesday.
He said: “When Rolling Stone charged Ron with being in the Me Too movement, he showed us proof against the allegations.”
“At the time, the police and District Attorneys backed Ron up,” Rusciolelli added. “He had never spent a day in court or in jail.”
Jeremy was once a managed by Golden Artists Entertainment, however, as of Tuesday, he was dropped from the agency.
“We are announcing today that we are dropping Ron Jeremy as one of our 80 management clients,” Rusciolelli told Global News.
He continued: “Today, the District Attorney in Los Angeles is bringing charges of sexual misconduct against him and we were not given any proof of his innocence at this time (sic).”
“We hope that these allegations against him are not true, but if they are, we hope that he is prosecuted,” Golden Artist Entertainment’s statement concludes.
In response to the charges, Jeremy took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon claiming his innocence.
“I am innocent of all charges,” he wrote on the social media platform. “I can’t wait to prove my innocence in court! Thank you to everyone for all the support.”
As of this writing, the case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Global News has reached out to a representative of Jeremy seeking comment.
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If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, resources are available. In case of an emergency, please call 911 for immediate help.
Are you or someone you know experiencing abuse? Visit the Department of Justice’s Victim Services Directory for a list of support services in your area.
Women, trans and non-binary people can find an additional list of resources here.
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