Fashion Designer Charged With Rape In L.A.
Beverly Hills Police Charge Anand Jon With Series Of Sexual Assaults
2LOS ANGELES, March 14, 2007 | by none
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Fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander in New York on April 29, 2004. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg, file)
(AP) A celebrity fashion designer who has appeared several times on "America's Next Top Model" has been charged with sexual assault and rape involving two women and a 15-year-old girl, authorities said.
Anand Jon Alexander, 33, was charged with six felonies accusing him of a series of sexual assaults between October 2004 and March 5, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office.
The Indian-born designer, who goes by the name Anand Jon, was arrested at his Beverly Hills apartment March 6 after a woman accused him of rape, authorities said Tuesday.
"Subsequently, additional evidence led us to other victims," said Lt. Mitch McCann, a spokesman for the Beverly Hills Police Department, which is investigating the case.
The charges include forcible rape and lewd acts on a child. Prosecutors have also charged a special circumstance allegation of multiple victims. If convicted, he faces a maximum of life in prison.
Alexander's attorney denied the allegations.
"He absolutely contends he didn't break any laws with respect to the contact he had with these women," attorney Ronald Richards said.
Alexander was being held in lieu of $1.3 million bail pending a March 19 hearing, Richards said.
Considered an up-and-coming designer in the fashion world, Alexander launched his fashion line in 1999 after graduating from the Parsons School of Design in New York. He has dressed such celebrities as Paris Hilton, Michelle Rodriguez and Mary J. Blige.
This year, Newsweek named Alexander a person to watch. The magazine cited his plans to launch a high-end jeans line and an upcoming reality show on VH1. He also has made several appearances on Tyra Banks' modeling competition "America's Next Top Model."
Richards said his client met one of his accusers online after she expressed interest in working with him.
"When you have people desperate to be in fashion, they get upset when you don't place them where they want to be," he said, adding that his client was involved with many different women.
"When you deal with a large amount of women, you're going to have potential false allegations made against you," Richards said.
Immigration authorities have placed a hold on Alexander and will take custody of him after local authorities complete their prosecution. Lori Haley, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said she had no immediate information on Alexander's immigration status, but added most holds occur when officials believe someone is in the country illegally.
Richards said his client came to the United States on a professional work visa.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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1. an Indian journalist has contacted everyone on the "Who's Who" list in India that Anand Jon claims to be good friends with, and every single one said that they did not have ANY relationship with him.
2. at RadarOnLine.com:
"A source who has known him since 2003 says his "friendships" with stars such as Paris Hilton and Michelle Rodriguez were largely illusory.
The source recalls visiting Alexander's home in Beverly Hills last year to find he had two girls from Texas staying with him, ages 15 and 17.
"I said, 'I think you're going to get in trouble with these girls,'" the source recalls.
"He said, 'Why would I get in trouble? These ***, all they want is fame and money, and I can give it to them.'
In fact, it appears that MOST of the claims that Anand Jon's websites claim has been manufactured out of thin air - including:
- celebrity "friends"
- who wears his clothing
- who sells his clothing
- and whether or not he even designs his runway attire
It is our understanding that the multiple rape arrest of Anand Jon was ONLY for offenses committed in Beverly Hills. There are also charges of multiple other rapes being investigated by the national task force against internet predators in various other states - including Texas and New York. And, these alleged rapes and various sexual assaults include more underaged girls.
Additionally, it appears that Anand Jon may have never sold a SINGLE item of clothing in any store, any where.
On various of Jon's sites, he claims to have sold lines in:
Henri Bendel, New York, NY
Bergdorf Goodman, New York, NY
Wilkes Bashford, San Francisco, CA
Saks Jandel, Chevy Chase , MD
Kapsiki, Palm Beach, FL
Razooks, Greenwich, CT
Bleu, Los Angeles, CA
Madison & Emma Gold, Los Angeles, CA
However, each of these stores were contacted, and other than Kapsiki in Palm Beach, no one has even heard of a designer named Anand Jon, much less carried his clothing lines.
The owner of Kapsiki's said he did know Anand Jon, and had taken two dresses on consignment, but didn't sell either one.
Worse yet, at least one runway model used by Anand Jon explained that before one of the fashion shows, he had the girls cut the labels out of the dresses - "original" designs allegedly pruchased by Jon from South America.
Continued ...