LOS ANGELES _ Ron Jeremy, one of the most iconic figures in the adult entertainment industry, has been charged with sexually assaulting four women in West Hollywood, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Jeremy, whose legal name is Ronald Jeremy Hyatt, was charged with forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and sexual battery, according to a news release from the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.
Prosecutors allege Jeremy attacked a 25-year-old woman at a West Hollywood home in 2014. Prosecutors also accused Jeremy of sexually assaulting two women at a West Hollywood bar in 2017 and raping a woman at the same bar in July 2019.
Prosecutors did not immediately disclose specific locations where the alleged assaults took place. It was not clear who was representing Jeremy.
In total, Jeremy faces three counts of forcible rape, two counts of sexual penetration by force, two counts of sexual battery and one count of forcible oral copulation, according to the criminal complaint. He faces up to 90 years in prison if convicted as charged, according to prosecutors, who said they would seek upward of $6 million bail during a court hearing Tuesday afternoon.
Authorities previously declined to charge Jeremy after deciding they had "insufficient evidence" to prosecute an alleged 2016 rape, according to a one-page memo explaining the decision. In that case, a woman said she was intoxicated at a club when Jeremy separated her from her friends and raped her.
The other women lived outside the country and refused to be interviewed, documents show.
Jeremy has appeared in hundreds of pornographic films. He has been accused of sexual assault by multiple women in recent years _ including adult film stars Danica Dane, Jennifer Steele and Jay Taylor _ but has denied the allegations.
Because of the allegations, Jeremy has been banned from the Adult Video News awards and the Exxotica expo, two of the largest annual events for the porn industry in the U.S. In 2017, Jeremy told Rolling Stone the claims were either "pure lies or buyer's remorse."
Ginger Banks, a 30-year-old advocate for sex workers who also works in the adult entertainment industry, compiled a 10-minute YouTube video in 2017 detailing a number of allegations against Jeremy.
Banks said she has since been contacted by at least 100 women who claimed Jeremy groped or raped them.
Banks, who has appeared in adult films since 2010, said Jeremy's behavior is well known among women in the business, but his status has protected him from consequences until recently.
"It's just like Harvey Weinstein," she said. "Because he's this legend, he's Ron Jeremy, people will excuse his behavior."
Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.
