LOS ANGELES (AP) - A grand jury has indicted adult film actor Ron Jeremy on more than 30 counts of sexual assault involving 21 women & girls in more than two decades, officials said.
Jeremy, 68, whose legal name is Ronald Jeremy Hyatt, pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday to all charges, including 12 counts of rape.
The indictment, which was returned on August 19 & unsealed on Wednesday, includes charges from victims aged 15 to 51 from 1996 to 2019. The allegations appear to be similar to those filed against Jeremy last year, which he also denied.
In a tactical move even in their case against Harvey Weinstein, LA County prosecutors used secret grand jury proceedings to obtain an indictment that alters the original charges, allowing them to skip a public preliminary hearing on the evidence. & allow the test to proceed.
Defense attorney Stuart Goldfarb said in an email that Jeremy's "status is the same as when the criminal complaint was filed. He is innocent of all charges."
Jeremy has been jailed on $6.6 million bail since his arrest in June 2020.
The indictment includes allegations that Jeremy raped a 19-year-old woman during a photo shoot in 1996, raped a 26-year-old woman in a nightclub in 2003, & raped a 17-year-old girl in a home in 2008 .
He is also accused of sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl in 2004.
No trial date has been set. Jeremy was asked to return to court in October for a pre-trial hearing.
Nicknamed "The Hedgehog", Jeremy has been one of the best-known & most prolific actors in the porn industry for decades, appearing in hundreds of films since the 1970s. He has also made regular appearances in mainstream films & reality TV shows.
Along with Weinstein, he is one of only a few men investigated & charged by a district attorney's task force set up to take on sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry as the #MeToo era gained momentum in late 2017.
Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of sexual assault & is still awaiting trial. A judge dismissed the 11th count.