Porn star Ron Jeremy pleads not guilty to rape charges in Los Angeles

[June 27, 2020]    LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Adult film star Ron Jeremy pleaded not guilty in a Los Angeles courtroom on Friday to charges of raping three women and sexually assaulting a fourth in incidents from 2014 to 2019, City News Service reported

Adult film star Ron Jeremy, whose real name is Ronald Jeremy Hyatt and who is charged with raping three women and sexually assaulting a fourth in incidents in West Hollywood from 2014 to 2019, listens as his attorney Stuart Goldfarb (not pictured) speaks during an arraignment hearing at Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 26, 2020. David McNew/Pool via REUTERS

Jeremy, 67, is among the biggest names in the pornography industry, having appeared in more than 2,000 adult films starting in the 1970s.

A preliminary hearing was set for Aug. 31 to determine if there is sufficient evidence to allow the case to proceed. Jeremy, whose real name is Ronald Jeremy Hyatt, was ordered to remain jailed in lieu of a $6.6 million bail.

Prosecutors said Jeremy forcibly raped a 25-year-old woman at a home in West Hollywood in May 2014. They also accused him of sexually assaulting two women, aged 33 and 46, on separate occasions at a West Hollywood bar in 2017, and forcibly raped one of them.

In a fourth incident, prosecutors said Jeremy forcibly raped a 30-year-old woman at the same bar in July 2019.

On Tuesday, the day charges were filed against Jeremy, he wrote on Twitter that he was innocent of all the allegations.

"I can’t wait to prove my innocence in court! Thank you to everyone for all the support," he wrote.

If convicted of all the charges, Jeremy faces a possible maximum sentence of 90 years to life in state prison.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; editing by Grant McCool)

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