A former co-executive producer of the television show “Scrubs” was slapped with 18 felony counts in connection with the alleged sexual assault of five women he lured using his Hollywood resume, the Los Angeles County District Attorney announced Wednesday.
Eric Weinberg’s alleged sex crimes in the complaint span from 2014 until 2019 when he convinced victims to come to his home before he allegedly sexually assaulted them. He was arrested Tuesday about a week after the charges were lodged against him.
Some of the counts against Weinberg, who also co-executive produced the television show “Californication” include six counts of sexual penetration by use of force, four counts of oral copulation, three counts of forcible rape and two counts of sexual battery by restraint, the LA County District Attorney’s Office said.
“The defendant relied on his Hollywood credentials to lure young women for photo shoots where he allegedly sexually assaulted them,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement.
“Power and influence can corrupt some to hurt others that often leads to a lifetime of trauma for those who are victimized.
“My office’s Bureau of Victim Services is here to help in the healing process to ensure all victims have the guidance and support they need on the road to recovery.”
Weinberg, 62, is out of custody after he forked over a $5 million bond, prosecutors said.
The district attorney’s office said two separate times in 2014 Weinberg went up to women in public places and told them he was a photographer and eventually got them to come to his home.
He then sexually assaulted them, the DA’s Office alleged.
Then in 2017, he plotted out the same plan leading to another sexual assault, according to prosecutors. Weinberg’s other two sexual assaults connected to the charges occurred with two women in different incidents in 2018 and 2019, the district attorney’s office alleged.
Weinberg’s attorney in an unrelated child custody case denied all wrongdoing by her client, according to the Los Angeles Times. Lawyer Robin Sax said the accusations by women against him were a “blatant smear campaign” meant to put Weinberg in the “most horrendous light,” the newspaper reported.
The LA Times said it could not immediately reach Sax for comment over the latest developments.
The LAPD previously arrested Weinberg in July for alleged sex crimes between 2012 and 2019, stating in a news release that he would approach the women he targeted in grocery stores, coffee shops, and other public spots and offer them photo shoots.
Since Weinberg’s initial arrest over the summer, Gascón’s office said “dozens of additional potential victims have contacted law enforcement.”
The district attorney’s office vowed each incident would be “thoroughly investigated and reviewed for additional charging.”
His arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 25.
Weinberg has been nominated for five Emmy Awards for his work on NBC and later ABC’s medical comedy-drama “Scrubs,” according to IMDb and for his writing on the show “Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher.”
His work also includes co-producing “Anger Management” on FX.
With Post wires