Phony Film Casting Director Pleads Guilty to Soliciting : Crime: The judge orders the Studio City man to make restitution to 14 women who paid ‘management’ fees.

A Studio City man who, posing as a casting director, promised young women acting jobs if they performed lewd acts for him pleaded guilty Friday to four counts of soliciting prostitution and one count of petty theft.

Aaron Allred, who in a bargain with prosecutors, pleaded guilty to five charges of what was a 28-count complaint. But he was ordered to make restitution to 14 women who paid “management” fees to phony casting agencies he operated out of his Studio City home and two offices in Los Angeles. The complaint was based on accusations from 21 women who said Allred charged them bogus fees or told them they would win parts if they performed lewd acts that aroused him.

Los Angeles Municipal Judge Gerald T. Richardson sentenced Allred, 31, to 90 days in the County Jail--minus 36 days for time already served--and ordered him never to work in the entertainment industry in any capacity.

“As far as working as a Hollywood agent, or in movie-making, directing or distributing films--or in anything else even remotely related with the industry--you’re out of it,” the judge told Allred.

The judge placed Allred on three years probation, told him to seek sexual-abuse counseling and ordered him to refund more than $4,200 in the phony fees, which ranged from $175 to $400.

“A case like this recalls the old ‘casting couch’ myth,” said the prosecutor, Deputy City Atty. Henry Burr. “This kind of guy can become more and more desperate--and if he’s not stopped, there’s a potential for real danger.”

The victims complained to authorities that Allred had promised them roles in so-called motion pictures titled “Tokyo Rose,” “Satin Dolls” and “Fantasy Glasses.” Many had responded to casting notices Allred placed in Drama-Logue, a Hollywood trade weekly.

“The guy did his homework--he talked as if he knew the business, names, places and so on,” said Lee Jett, a detective in the Los Angeles Police Department’s administrative vice division.

“He sounded nice,” said Sevasti Zographos of West Los Angeles, who paid Allred $175 thinking he could arrange an audition for the television soap opera “Santa Barbara.”

Los Angeles Detective Bill Roberts said Allred’s activities “aren’t representative of the casting profession. He’s a fringe guy who’s never produced a film. We kept getting complaints about him faster than we could write the reports.”

Drama-Logue and the Screen Actors Guild assisted police in the investigation.

Faye Bordy, Drama-Logue’s editor in chief, said the Allred case was unusual. “Twenty years ago, possibly even 15 years ago, actors and actresses were very naive about this kind of activity,” she said. “Now it’s different, with sexual harassment being so much out in the open.”

Even so, two women who responded to Allred’s adds said Friday that many aspiring actors and actresses are easily manipulated.

“Everybody wants to be successful,” Zographos said. But after Allred asked her to perform a lewd act, she said, she walked out and contacted police. Anna Talakkottur of West Los Angeles said she too resisted Allred’s advances after he invited her into an office and turned off the lights.