'Scrubs' producer Eric Weinberg charged with sexual assault

Eric Weinberg, executive producer and writer of the hit TV show "Scrubs" and many others, has been accused of sexually assaulting five women he lured for photo shoots and there could be many more victims, Los Angeles. County prosecutors announced Wednesday.

Weinberg, 62, was arrested Tuesday, nearly a week after being charged with 18 felony counts including rape, oral intercourse, forcible sexual penetration, sexual assault by restraint, false imprisonment by use of violence, assault by means of of force that will probably cause great damage. bodily harm and attempted forcible penetration with a foreign object, according to the district attorney's office.

He was released that day on $5 million bond. His arraignment was scheduled for October 25.

An email to an agent for Weinberg seeking comment was not immediately returned.

Weinberg was charged with alleged attacks between 2014 and 2019, but investigators say they believe there may be other victims of attacks dating back to the 1990s, District Attorney George Gascon said at a news conference.

He urged them to come forward.

“The defendant relied on his Hollywood credentials to lure young women to photo shoots in which he allegedly sexually assaulted them,” Gascón said. "Power and influence can corrupt some to hurt others, often leading to lifelong trauma for those who are victims."

LAPD Detective Ryan Lamar said investigators were looking into information received from a tip line about possible other attacks by Weinberg.

Weinberg was previously investigated several times by police, but the prosecutor's office did not file charges due to lack of evidence, Gascon said.

Weinberg co-executive produced nearly 100 episodes of the NBC hospital comedy-drama "Scrubs" between 2000 and 2006 and also wrote nearly a dozen episodes, according to the IMDB website.

He was also a co-executive producer on "Californication" in 2007 and had producing and writing credits on other shows, including "Anger Management," "Men at Work," "Veronica's Closet" and "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher."

In 2020, documents filed in Weinberg's divorce and child custody proceedings included allegations from three women that he sexually assaulted them during photo shoots, Los Angeles Times reported.

A woman alleged that she met Weinberg at a North Hollywood coffee shop in 2014 when she was 22 and he convinced her to go to a photo shoot at his home where she stripped down to her underwear. The woman alleged that while she was taking pictures of her, Weinberg grabbed her, forced her to perform oral sex on him, strangled her and then raped her, according to documents cited by the Times.