Talent Agent Held in Sexual Assaults : Burbank: Wallace Kaye is charged with the battery of actresses and models who came to him seeking his representation.

A Burbank talent agent was arrested Wednesday on charges he sexually assaulted five actresses or models during interviews in his office and then molested an undercover female police officer sent to investigate, police said.

Wallace Kaye, 52, was being held at Burbank police headquarters in lieu of $50,000 bail on suspicion of four counts of sexual battery and two counts of false imprisonment, said Burbank Police Detective David Gabriel. Kaye, a resident of Walnut, was arrested without incident about 10 a.m. at his storefront office on North Lima Street at Magnolia Boulevard.

The women, whose ages range from 20 to 35, include the undercover officer and five models or actresses who were either clients of Kaye’s talent agency or sought his representation, Gabriel said.

“At some point during the audition, he would restrain these women with his hands and fondle them in their private parts,” Gabriel said. In some cases, he removed the women’s clothing while touching their genitals, Gabriel said.

Twelve women filed complaints against Kaye, but only six cases involved actions he could be prosecuted for, Gabriel said.

The other complaints “amount to unprofessional behavior and bad conduct but are not considered violations of criminal law,” Gabriel said. He added, “We strongly believe that other women may have been sexually assaulted by Kaye but have not reported it.”

A Glendale police officer, working in conjunction with Burbank police, posed as an actress and approached Kaye as a prospective client. She was assaulted Sept. 17, Gabriel said.

“She took on a role similar to the other victims and she became a victim,” Gabriel said.

The officer, whose name was not released, did not arrest Kaye at the time, and Gabriel declined to discuss other details of her involvement.

Police said Kaye is registered with the Screen Actors Guild and with the state as an entertainment agent.

According to an index of actresses published by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Kaye Talent Agency represents several performers but no major stars.

The arrests follow a four-month investigation with the cooperation of the actors’ guild, Gabriel said.

“I don’t know if that necessarily this is a typical casting-couch case,” Gabriel said. “In most of those cases, I imagine we have a consent involved. In this case, none of these women consented to any of the assaults upon their bodies.”

By 9 p.m. Wednesday, three women who had heard news reports of Kaye’s arrest called Burbank police to complain about the agent, Gabriel said. Detectives planned to interview the women today.

The Screen Actors Guild would not say how many clients he has, but Gabriel estimated that Kaye represented more than 30 women.