Warning: This article contains sexually explicit language and may be disturbing for some readers. Please read at your own discretion.
Following several charges of sexual assault laid against former porn star Ron Jeremy in June, the Los Angeles County District Attorney has filed 20 additional charges of sexual assault against the adult film actor.
As reported by the LA Times, Jeremy now faces a total of 28 counts of sexual violence involving 17 different women, following a barrage of new reports from dozens of alleged victims following the announcement of his initial charges.
Jeremy, 67, pleaded not guilty to the initial allegations that he sexually assaulted four women in West Hollywood between 2014 and 2019. He has not yet entered a plea on the new charges.
The June charges — which include sexual battery and forcible oral copulation — were confirmed 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 was charged with three counts of forcible rape and three of forcible penetration by a foreign object.
The new charges against Jeremy (real name Ron Jeremy Hyatt) include six counts of sexual battery by restraint, five counts of forcible rape, three counts of forcible oral copulation, two counts of forcible penetration by a foreign object and one count each of sodomy, assault with intent to commit rape, penetration by a foreign object on an unconscious or sleeping victim and lewd conduct with a 15-year-old girl.
His most recent alleged crime took place on Jan. 1, 2020, when Jeremy allegedly sexually assaulted a 21-year-old woman in Hollywood. The accusers range in age from 15 to 54 years.
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 all of the allegations.
“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.
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 managed by Golden Artists Entertainment, but he was dropped from the agency once charged in June. Following the 2017 accusations, Jeremy’s career took a sharp dive and never recovered.
In response to the initial charges, Jeremy took to Twitter claiming his innocence.
Jeremy’s lawyer, Stu Goldfarb, couldn’t be reached for comment before publication.
The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Los Angeles Police Department and the District Attorney Office’s Bureau of Investigation.
He is currently jailed in lieu of $6.6 million bail, though defence has requested to lower that amount.
Jeremy is to be arraigned on Monday, and he faces a possible maximum sentence of 250 years to life in prison.
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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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— With files from Adam Wallis
© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.