Ron Jeremy pleads not guilty to rape, sexual assault charges
After declaring his “innocence” on Twitter, Ron Jeremy officially pleaded not guilty to multiple felony sex crimes, Yahoo Entertainment can confirm. The former adult film star, who appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom on Friday, remains in custody. His bail was previously set at $6.6 million.
On Tuesday, Jeremy was charged with raping three women and sexually assaulting a fourth in separate incidents dating back to 2014. In total, he was charged with eight counts of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and sexual battery.
In court on Friday, Jeremy’s attorney said his client “never, in his life, had sex with a female through force or duress,” per the Los Angeles Times. Authorities have received 25 new complaints of sexual misconduct against Jeremy this week since his arrest made news.
Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson said it is “certainly possible” the new claims could lead to additional charges, according to the Times, revealing the allegations ranged from groping to overt acts of sexual violence.
Yahoo Entertainment reached out to Jeremy’s lawyer for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
A message posted on the entertainer’s official Twitter account on Tuesday denied wrongdoing. “I am innocent of all charges,” the tweet read. “I can’t wait to prove my innocence in court!”
I am innocent of all charges. I can’t wait to prove my innocence in court! Thank you to everyone for all the support.
— Ron Jeremy (@RealRonJeremy) June 23, 2020
Prosecutors claim Jeremy, 67, forcibly raped a 25-year-old woman at a home in West Hollywood in May 2014. He’s accused of sexually assaulting two women, ages 33 and 46, on separate occasions at a West Hollywood bar in 2017. He allegedly forcibly raped a 30-year-old woman at the same bar in July 2019. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office noted it investigated another incident involving the porn star from 2016 but declined the case due to insufficient evidence.
Jeremy faces a possible maximum sentence of 90 years to life in state prison if convicted as charged.
Shortly after his arrest, Jeremy was dropped by his manager. “We hope that these allegations against [Ron] are not true, but if they are, we hope that he is prosecuted,” Dante Rusciolelli told Yahoo Entertainment over email.
Sexual misconduct and assault allegations dogged Jeremy for years and he has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. After Rolling Stone laid out his troubling history with women in a 2017 article, Jeremy told the magazine he “never raped anyone.”
Jeremy's next court appearance is Aug. 31.
Watch — Ron Jeremy charged with rape and sexual assault:
Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
