Porn star Ron Jeremy pleads not guilty in rape case in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Porn star Ron Jeremy pleaded not guilty in a Los Angeles courtroom on Friday to charges he raped three women and sexually assaulted a fourth between 2014 and 2019, City News Service reported.

Jeremy, 67, is one of the biggest names in the porn industry, having appeared in over 2,000 adult films since the 1970s.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for August 31 to determine whether there is enough evidence to proceed with the case. Jeremy, whose real name is Ronald Jeremy Hyatt, was ordered to remain incarcerated despite being held on $6.6 million bail.

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

In a fourth incident, prosecutors say Jeremy raped a 30-year-old woman in 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 charges.

“I can’t wait to prove my innocence in court! Thank you all for your support,” he wrote.

If convicted on all counts, Jeremy faces a maximum sentence of 90 years to life in state prison.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Grant McCool)