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Sexual Assault

'Extraction' producer David Guillod charged with 11 sex-crime counts in Santa Barbara County

Maria Puente
USA TODAY
Producer David Guillod on January 8, 2016, in West Hollywood, California.

Film producer David Guillod, the Hollywood executive behind such films as "Extraction" and "Atomic Blonde" who's been under criminal investigation for years, was charged Monday with 11 sex crimes, including rape, kidnapping to commit rape, and rape of a drugged victim, according to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office.

The charges stem from alleged encounters in 2012, 2014 and 2015 with four unidentified women accusers, ranging in age from 27 to 41, in Los Angeles County and in Santa Barbara County, according to the complaint filed by Santa Barbara District Attorney Joyce Dudley.

His arraignment date has not been set, Dudley said. If convicted as charged, Guillod faces a potential sentence of 21 years to life in prison.

Dudley and the Santa Barbara County sheriff's office said Guillod, 53, was in custody Monday at the Santa Barbara County Jail, with bail set at $3 million.

On Tuesday, his attorney, Philip K. Cohen, said Guillod pleaded not guilty and was scheduled to be released on $1 million bail. His next court hearing was set for June 30 via Zoom. 

"Charges were filed after extensive investigations were conducted by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles Police Department, while working in conjunction with the District Attorneys of Santa Barbara County and Los Angeles County," Dudley's statement said. "After reviewing all the evidence, the Santa

Barbara County District Attorney requested jurisdiction from the District Attorney of Los Angeles to prosecute Counts 4-11 in Santa Barbara."

Cohen said in a statement to USA TODAY that Guillod maintains his innocence, and that he has evidence contradicting the allegations.

Film producer David Guillod in his booking photo at the Santa Barbara County Jail on June, 22, 2020, after he was charged with sex crimes.

"Mr. Guillod has been vilified for eight years without being afforded the opportunity to examine under oath his accusers," his statement said. "Justice is rarely swift and often does not come easy; but Mr. Guillod very much looks forward to clearing his name in the appropriate forum."

Guillod was charged with four counts in connection with the first alleged encounter, on May 21, 2012 in Los Angeles County, in which he is accused of sexual penetration of an unconscious or unaware victim, sexual penetration of a drugged victim, oral copulation of an intoxicated victim, and oral copulation of an unconscious or unaware victim.

In the Dec. 14, 2014, alleged encounter in Santa Barbara County, he faces three charges, including kidnapping to for rape, rape of a drugged victim, and rape of an unconscious person.

Chris Hemsworth stars as a black-market mercenary on a rescue mission and a path of redemption in the Netflix action movie "Extraction." The film was produced by David Guillod.

In the third alleged encounter, between Jan. 30 and Jan. 31, 2015, in Los Angeles County, he is charged with rape of a drugged person and rape of an unconscious person.

In the fourth alleged encounter, also between Jan. 30 and Jan. 31, 2015, in Los Angeles County, he is charged with rape of a drugged person and rape of an unconscious person. 

Guillod, a manager, producer and co-CEO of Primary Wave Entertainment at the time, was accused in November 2017 by actress Jessica Barth, who said he drugged and sexually assaulted her in 2012 when he was working as her manager in Los Angeles.

The charges were investigated at the time by Los Angeles police because Barth filed her complaint with them. Charges were not filed at that time. 

“An overwhelming amount of evidence has been collected over the course of this investigation disputing these charges,” Cohen's statement said. “DNA has come back negative in the Los Angeles case; percipient witnesses have come forward in support of Mr. Guillod’s account of events; and numerous text messages and emails obtained by the defense tell a story very different than that which is being alleged. Additionally, Mr. Guillod has passed five independent polygraph examinations.”

Guillod took a leave of absence and eventually resigned from Primary Wave after Barth went public with her allegation as the #MeToo movement surged in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein (who has since been convicted).

"For the past eight years, Mr. Guillod has denied these allegations, and for the past eight years Mr. Guillod has fully cooperated with all aspects of law enforcement’s investigation," Cohen's statement said. "We find the unification of the cases filed through the Santa Barbara DA’s office and the timing suspicious."

Guillod was an executive producer on the 2017 film “Atomic Blonde” starring Charlize Theron, and produced the 2020 film “Extraction,” the Netflix movie starring Chris Hemsworth.

In February 2019, "Criminal Minds" star A.J. Cook sued Guillod, her former manager, for failing to tell her and other female clients about sexual misconduct allegations against him. Cook said in her lawsuit that Guillod committed fraud when he didn't tell his clients about the accusations made against him by other women.

Guillod's civil attorney, Thomas Ferlauto, dismissed her complaint, calling it a "frivolous lawsuit" in a statement to USA TODAY.

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