OAKLAND, Calif. — LA Direct Models’ Derek Hay was arraigned on Monday in Los Angeles as part of a criminal case for conspiracy to commit pandering and conspiracy to commit pimping.
The announcement of Hay’s arraignment was made yesterday by the office of California Attorney General Rob Bonta, following a grand jury indictment on Sept. 28, 2022.
As XBIZ reported in December, when the full indictment was leaked to some press outlets, the grand jury document names Hay alongside two co-defendants. The three are accused by the state of California of conspiracy to commit pandering by procuring in violation of Penal Code 266i (a), a felony, and conspiracy to commit pimping in violation of Penal Code 266h (a). Hay is also now accused of perjury concerning his testimony under oath.
The three defendants pled not guilty. XBIZ contacted Hay’s legal team but received no further comment.
“If you break the law and exploit people for sex, my office will come after you,” Attorney General Bonta stated in his press release. “Our investigators and prosecutors remain steadfast in their efforts to fight for public safety on behalf of the people of our state. In this case, my office has successfully demonstrated to a grand jury that there is sufficient evidence to put the defendants to trial. We won’t rest until we’ve secured justice.”
First Official Unveiling of a Previously Leaked Indictment
Hay first faced criminal pandering charges in California in early March 2020, stemming from accusations made during a “Jane Does” labor case that involved five models, his former clients, petitioning against him and his agency before the California Labor Commission.
The March 2020 felony complaint against Hay, filed on Tuesday by the California attorney general's office, included a warrant for arrest and extradition of Hay, who is based in Las Vegas.
The 2020 felony charges and the September 2022 grand jury indictment are connected to the 2018 civil filings, and also to testimony given by the five “Jane Doe” models and former LA Direct clients — later self-identified as Charlotte Cross, Shay Evans, Sofi Ryan, Andi Rye and Hadley Viscara — during the Labor Board hearings in the fall and winter of 2019.
Both Viscara and Ryan accused Hay of sexual assault during the Labor Board hearings. Hay and his attorney have disputed the veracity of their accounts.
The indictment — made public this week by the California attorney general’s office, three months after a unredacted version was leaked to the press — only identifies the victims of the alleged pandering and pimping as “Jane Does” and “Individuals.”
Although most of the charges concern the other two co-defendants, Hay is accused of sending a message to one of the co-defendants asking them to “cease all bookings” of someone only identified as Individual 1, of introducing Jane Doe 2 to the co-defendants during a dinner, of sending text messages to Jane Doe 4 concerning introducing her to one of the co-defendants, of text messaging Jane Doe 4 about sending her photos to one of the co-defendants, and of communicating with Jane Doe 4 concerning “a private job.”
Among the accusations against the other co-defendants, those involving Hay include: inducing Jane Doe 1 to be represented by Hay, telling Jane Doe 1 that they “intended to pay a referral fee for Jane Doe 3” to Hay, contacting Jane Doe 1 to discuss a letter sent by attorney Allan Gelbard to Hay, and communicating with Hay regarding someone identified as Individual 4.
One charge of perjury against Hay appears to have been added to the indictment since the December leak. Hay is now also accused of lying under oath when questioned whether he had discussed "the escorting business" with his co-defendants, if he had provided LA Direct images to them, and whether he had talked to Jane Doe 4 about her work with a company allegedly run by the co-defendants.
The next court date for the criminal case is set for April 25.
For more from XBIZ's coverage of Derek Hay's case, click here.