24 June 2020

Adult film star Ron Jeremy charged with raping three women after probe by Hollywood task force launched in #MeToo era

Adult film star Ron Jeremy has been charged with raping three women and sexually assaulting a fourth, Los Angeles County prosecutors said.

The counts make 67 year-old Jeremy the third man to be charged, along with Harvey Weinstein and producer David Guillod, by a task force formed by District Attorney Jackie Lacey in 2017 to investigate sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry.

Jeremy, nicknamed “The Hedgehog,” is among the best known and most prolific actors in the history of the adult film industry, with thousands of credits to his name.

Jeremy, whose real name is Ronald Jeremy Hyatt, appeared in court on Tuesday but did not enter a plea. A judge delayed his arraignment until Friday and set his bail at $6.6 million.

Jeremy was charged with three counts each of forcible rape and forcible penetration by a foreign object and one count each of forcible oral copulation and sexual battery. If convicted of all the counts he could face 90 years in prison.

Prosecutors allege Jeremy raped a 25-year-old woman at a West Hollywood home in May 2014, sexually assaulted a 33-year-old woman and a 46-year-old woman in separate incidents at a West Hollywood bar in 2017, and raped a 30-year-old woman at the same bar in July of last year.

He was investigated by the Hollywood task force after it was formed during a wave of sexual misconduct allegations that began in late 2017 with media reports about Weinstein that launched the #MeToo era.

The task force has investigated more than 20 men, but Jeremy is just the third to be charged.

Prosecutors have begun efforts to bring Weinstein to California to face charges of rape and sexual assault. He is being held in a New York prison after being convicted of similar charges earlier this year. He has denied engaging in any non-consensual sex.

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