“Scrubs” producer Eric Weinberg, accused of being a “serial rapist,” is on trial after initially being released on $5 million bail

Disgraced television producer Eric Weinberg will face trial on numerous allegations of sexual assault, a Los Angeles County judge ruled on Tuesday, according to Variety and the New York Times.

The judge came to this decision after days of testimony from Weinberg’s alleged victims, who stated that they feared for their lives during the alleged attacks between 2014 and 2019.

Weinberg – who allegedly posed as a photographer – is accused of luring women he met in public and through dating apps/modeling websites to his Los Feliz home to sexually assault them.

He is accused of 28 counts of rape and sexual assault. Originally, 32 charges were pending, but four were dropped – one due to insufficient evidence and three due to the statute of limitations having expired.

Weinberg has pleaded not guilty and will go on trial in June. If convicted, he faces more than 100 years in prison.

Weinberg, one of the most renowned producers in TV, has produced several television shows throughout his career, including “Scrubs” and “American Dad.”

His first arrest in July 2022 sent shockwaves throughout the industry when the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office disclosed some of the allegations against him.

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In 2014, the office said, Weinberg told two different women that he was a photographer, invited them to his home and sexually assaulted them.

The district attorney said Weinberg repeated the same ploy on another woman in 2017. He was also accused of sexually assaulting two women in two separate incidents in 2018 and 2019, according to the prosecutor’s criminal complaint.

Investigators at the time added that there were likely other unidentified victims and that the producer’s illegal behavior could date back to the early 1990s.

Weinberg’s bail was later set at a whopping $3.5 million, which he promptly paid and released back onto the streets – while prosecutors continued to build their case against the once-respected television writer.

Prosecutors further announced in a press release that Weinberg had been “investigated by the LAPD twice on suspicion of sexual harassment, booking records and statements from the LAPD show” prior to his arrest. At least one woman warned in a Facebook group about the producer’s alleged predatory behavior.

At the time, officials urged anyone with relevant information to her case to come forward. Dozens of potential victims reportedly responded, and each incident was reviewed for possible criminal charges.

About three months later, in October 2022, Weinberg was arrested again – about a week after District Attorney George Gascón announced 18 counts against him – but he now faces 28 counts.

The crimes he was charged with included 18 counts of rape, oral sex, sexual assault by deprivation of liberty, deprivation of liberty by the use of violence and attempted sexual penetration with a foreign object.

Gascón, known for his lenient attitude toward crime, noted at the time that the producer’s reign of terror likely went unchecked for more than a decade, and lamented that Weinberg was able to use the enormous fortune he had amassed during that time to stay on the streets while authorities gathered evidence for the trial.

Weinberg posted $5 million bail at the time and was released again. However, at a court hearing later this month, he was denied bail and remained incarcerated until Wednesday’s hearing.

“In this particular case, we are dealing with a man who for many years believed he could do great harm and yet remain untouchable,” Gascón said, adding: “As we expected, he used his incredible wealth to bail us out.”

The prosecutor added that Weinberg had been investigated several times before by the city police, but that his agency lacked the necessary evidence to bring charges.

But after receiving dozens of tips through a hotline set up to support the case, prosecutors were finally able to pursue the case further, supported by the harrowing accounts of the five unnamed women.

One of those victims was a 22-year-old he met in a cafe in 2014. She said he lured her to his home and then forced her to perform oral sex on him by holding her down and choking her “so hard I thought I was going to pass out.”

The woman further alleged that while taking photographs, Weinberg grabbed her, forced her to perform oral sex, choked her and then raped her, according to court documents filed by Gascon’s office.

Court records showed that three other accusers of Weinberg testified against him during the producer’s divorce in 2020.

An LAPD spokesman described how Weinberg targeted women in public places before engaging in his predatory practices.

“Weinberg was a Hollywood producer/writer and appears to have specifically approached women in grocery stores, cafes and other public places,” the agency said in a statement.

He approached women between the ages of 20 and 30, posed as a photographer and arranged photo shoots with them.

“Once the women were in his apartment, he sexually abused them during the photo shoot.”

Assistant District Attorney Marlene Martinez called Weinberg “a danger to all women” during a court hearing in October 2022, according to the LA Times.

“He approaches every young woman and uses his status as a writer and producer to attract them. He is a danger to all women,” she said.

Between 2000 and 2006, he served as co-executive producer on nearly 100 episodes of Scrubs. He has also produced and written several other successful series, including Anger Management, Men at Work, and Veronica’s Closet.

He has been nominated for five Emmy Awards – two for his work on “Scrubs,” three for his work on Bill Maher’s old ABC talk show “Politically Incorrect” –