Millionaire Matchmaker Client Charged with Drugging, Sexually Assaulting Three Women

Michael Bernback | Photo Credits: CBS2

This article, Millionaire Matchmaker Client Charged with Drugging, Sexually Assaulting Three Women, originally appeared on TVGuide.com.

A California business man who appeared on Millionaire Matchmaker was charged with raping three women on Thursday, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Michael Bernback, 62, is facing eight felony counts, including one count each of forcible rape, rape by use of drugs, rape of an unconscious person, forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by a foreign object and attempted sodomy by use of force and two counts of administering a drug to commit rape. Bernback is also charged with three misdemeanor counts of possessing MDMA, GHB and cocaine.

According to the criminal complaint, Bernback allegedly administered a controlled substance to one of the women and tied and bound another woman during an attack. The crimes allegedly occurred March 23, 2014, Sept. 27, 2014 and Aug. 11, 2015.

Bernback, who has a criminal record including drug possession and battery, was arrested on Aug. 13 and released on $300,000 bail. However, he was taken into custody again on Thursday when his bail increased to $2.1 million, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office. If convicted, Bernback faces multiple life terms in state prison.

Bernback appeared in a 2011 episode of the Bravo reality show, during which he argued with Patti Stanger about his love of dating younger women.

"And then I go to Michael, and Michael wants to have a baby breeder," Stanger wrote on her blog for Bravo at the time. "Now when someone comes to me at 58 years old needing a baby breeder -- there's no way. You're going to get 38 and up -- 38 and up that's my bar. Take it or leave it. He agrees to it, but you can tell he's pissed off."

Bernback's neighbors said it wasn't uncommon to see young women at his house. "It's generally two girls a night. It's probably three or four nights a week, and I was waiting for it to implode," one woman told CBS2.