Authorities said that Ron Jeremy, an adult film actor, was indicted on more than 30 counts for sexual assault against 21 women and girls over more than 20 years.
Jeremy, a 68-year-old man whose legal name was Ronald Jeremy Hyatt, pleaded guilty to all 12 charges of rape in Los Angeles Superior Court.
The indictment was returned Aug. 19, and unsealed Wednesday. It covers allegations ranging from 1996 to 2019, with victims ranging from 15 to 51 years old. These charges appear identical to those filed against Jeremy last summer, 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.
Stuart Goldfarb, the defense attorney, stated in an email that Jeremy is “in the same position as when the criminal complaint has been filed.” He is innocent of all charges.
Since June 2020, Jeremy was arrested and held on $6.6million bail.
The indictment alleges that Jeremy raped a 19 year-old girl during a 1996 photo shoot, raped a 26 year-old woman in a nightclub in 2003, and raped a 17 years-old girl in a home in 2008.
In 2004, he was also accused of sexually assaulting a girl aged 15 years old.
There has not been a set trial date. Jeremy was instructed to appear in court on October 21 for a pretrial hearing.
Jeremy, also known as “The Hedgehog”, has been a prolific performer in the porn world for decades. He has appeared in hundreds of films and television shows since the 1970s. He also appears in mainstream films and reality TV shows.
Weinstein is also one of the few men who were investigated by and brought to justice by the task force of the district attorney that was formed to address sexual misconduct in the entertainment sector during the #MeToo movement in late 2017.
Weinstein has pleaded guilty to 10 counts for sexual assault. He is currently awaiting trial. A judge dismissed an 11th count.
