The co-executive producer of the hit American comedy show Scrubs has been charged with 18 counts of sexual assault.
Eric Weinberg is accused of using his “Hollywood credentials” to lure several young women to photo shoots before attacking them, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney.
The 62-year-old’s charges include six counts of forcible sexual penetration, four counts of oral copulation, three counts of forcible rape and two counts of sexual assault by restraint.
They all stem from alleged incidents involving five women between 2014 and 2019.
She was not working on Scrubs at the time of the alleged offences, and the show ended in March 2010 after airing for more than nine years.
Weinberg also faces charges of assault by means of force likely to cause serious bodily injury, attempted sexual penetration with the use of force and false imprisonment by violence.
On separate occasions in 2014, he approached two women in public places and told them he was a photographer, according to the district attorney.
After communicating with each of the victims, they eventually went to her home, where she is accused of sexual assault.
Weinberg then allegedly used the same ruse to take another young woman to his home and sexually assault her in 2017.
In 2018 and 2019, he is accused of sexually assaulting two more women in separate incidents.
“The defendant relied on his Hollywood credentials to lure young women for photo shoots, where he allegedly sexually assaulted them,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said.
“Power and influence can corrupt one to harm another, often leading to a lifetime of trauma for those who are victimized.”
The writer, who also worked on the show Californication, was arrested in July but has since been released from jail after posting $5m (£4.4m) bail.
He is scheduled to appear in court on October 25.
The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department, and additional victims or anyone with information are urged to contact detectives.