LOS ANGELES — LA Direct agency owner Derek Hay has made arrangements to travel to Los Angeles to face criminal pandering charges in California, stemming from accusations made during the recent "Jane Does" case. That case involves five of his former models petitioning against him and his agency before the California Labor Commission.
The felony complaint, 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 charges go back 18 months or more and came from statements made by two or more of the five women who are suing him civilly with the Department of Labor," Hay's attorney Richard D. Freeman told XBIZ. "This is not new information, this is not recent information. While no one wants to be the subject of a criminal investigation or a criminal prosecution, Derek is ready, willing and able to come to California to answer the charges against him and he's confident we will disprove the charges."
"I've been in contact with the Attorney General's office and made arrangements for Derek's voluntary surrender at which time we expect he will be released on bond," Freeman revealed.
Tuesday's felony charges are all connected to the 2018 civil filings and also to testimony given by the five "Jane Does" 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.
There are twelve counts in the indictment against Hay and two other individuals. Only two of the charges — Counts 6 and 8 — involve Hay, who is accused of committing "the crime of pandering by procuring, a violation of Penal Code Section 266(a)(1)."
That section of the California Penal Code states that any person who "procures another person for the purpose of prostitution" is "guilty of pandering, a felony, and shall be punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for three, four, or six years."
Count 6 alleges that Hay procured Hadley Viscara for the purpose of prostitution on or between June 2 and June 30, 2017. Count 8 makes the same allegation regarding Sofi Ryan, on or between March 9, 2017 and April 1, 2018.
All other 10 charges, for "pandering by procuring" and "pimping" felonies exclusively concern the other two co-defendants.
Both Viscara and Ryan have accused Hay of sexual assault during the Labor Board hearings. Hay and his attorney have disputed the veracity of their accounts.
For more from XBIZ's coverage of Derek Hay's case, click here.
