Porn star Ron Jeremy pleads “not guilty” to new charges of rape and sexual assault involving six victims Wednesday, including a teenage girl.
The recent charges, which span a 17-year period, bring the number of his alleged victims to 23.
The adult film star was initially charged with raping three women and sexually assaulting a fourth in June, but more women come forward since then.
According to the Los Angeles district attorney’s office, the new charges include three counts of rape with victims ranging from 15 to 54 years old.
The victims include a 17-year-old who was raped at a Woodland Hills home in 2008 and a 19-year-old woman who was raped during a photo shoot in the San Fernando Valley.
Jeremy now faces 11 counts of rape, eight of sexual battery and 16 other sexual offenses, which would land him a possible maximum sentence of more than 330 years to life if proven guilty.
He was investigated and charged by a district attorney’s taskforce after the #MeToo era gained momentum in late 2017, prompting the taskforce to be formed to take on sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry.
He has been held in jail since June, with a 6.6-million US bail.
Prosecutors said last month that they were contacted by at least 22 women across the country, who made allegations ‘ranging from misdemeanor sexual battery to rape’ against the actor.
Ronald Jeremy Hyatt was among the best-known performers in the adult industry since the 1970s, having appeared in more than 2,000 adult films.
Keiran Lee, top porn star who works with leading porn production companies such as Canadian firm Brazzers, said, “The industry turned its back on Ron Jeremy a long time ago.”
“He had let the fame go to his head and he thought he was the man and to be fair he was one of the biggest porn stars ever,” added Lee.