LOS ANGELES — LA Direct agent Derek Hay surrendered himself this afternoon in Claremont, Los Angeles County, to California authorities, who had issued a warrant for his arrest last Tuesday in connection with two charges of procuring two of his former models for the purpose of prostitution.
Hay, as his attorney Richard D. Freeman had anticipated to XBIZ yesterday, made arrangements to travel from his home in Nevada to Los Angeles County today to answer the charges against him.
The judge set Hay's bail at $70,000, and he was released on bond this afternoon. His next court date in California is May 6.
"Derek is looking forward to having an opportunity to appear in court and clear his name from these allegations that have been going around for so long," Freeman told XBIZ today, after his client's release.
Yesterday, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the charges and gave a statement about the investigation into Hay and two other individuals.
“Exploiting young women takes a cold, hollow heart,” AG Becerra said. “With the #MeToo movement, more and more women are courageously stepping forward and shining light on abuses perpetrated by people in positions of power. At the California Department of Justice, we welcome their voices and will use our authority to hold those involved in criminal, exploitive activity accountable.”
Besides alleging Hay procured former clients Sofi Ryan and Hadley Viscara for the purposes of prostitution, California AG office's statement also mentions that "Hay allegedly pressured one of his female clients into prostitution by using exclusivity provisions in one of his contracts to limit her access to work in pornography films."
The AG office's statement mentions this prosecution in the context of Attorney General Becerra’s "ongoing commitment to combat criminal activity and end the exploitation of vulnerable populations in and around California," including "the seizure and shutdown of the world’s largest online brothel, Backpage.com."
The mischaracterization of Backpage.com as "the world's largest online brothel" is a key concept of War On Porn propaganda, introduced into the discourse around sex work by religiously motivated lobbies and former California AG and current Senator Kamala Harris.
For more from XBIZ coverage of Derek Hay's case, click here.