Anand Jon Alexander, 33, celebrity
fashion designer, has been indicted on
59 counts of sexual assault.
Prosecutors had previously charged
Anand Jon with over 40 counts of
felony and misdemeanor involving 18
victims that included rape, sexual
battery, and committing a lewd act on
a child. He had pleaded not guilty to
the earlier charges.
The initial criminal complaint will
now be dismissed and replaced by the
indictment unsealed on October 4,
2007.
The prosecution added two more victims
to the original case, bringing the
total number of victims to 20. They
alleged that the crimes targeted women
and girls aged 15 to 27, between
November 2002 and March 2007.
Seven of the alleged victims in the
indictment are from California, while
the rest are from eight states and two
countries, prosecutors said.
Anand Jon Alexander, who initially was
charged on March 13, 2007 – and is
being held without bail – faces 54
felony charges and 5 misdemeanor
charges.
If convicted of all counts, he faces
punishment up to imprisonment for
life.
As a high-profile designer, Anand Jon
Alexander was often present at parties
and fashion events. He also has worked
with celebrities such as Paris Hilton,
Michelle Rodriguez, and Mary J Blige.
Anand Jon was a profiled designer on
‘America’s Next Top Model’ in 2003 and
was among 20 people profiled by
Newsweek magazine as up-and-coming
players in various industries.
He is suspected of meeting women on
the internet and then assaulting them
when they visited with him about
modeling opportunities.
Anand Jon’s defense has claimed that
some of the women made the allegations
to seek fame. His lawyer, Anthony
Brooklier, said that, in some of the
cases, the victims either kept in
contact with or met Anand Jon after
the alleged crimes took place.
Anand Jon Alexander was arrested in
March 2007 after a woman claimed that
she was sexually assaulted by the
designer at his apartment in the
Beverly Hills.
Though bail was previously set at $1.3
million, he has remained in custody.
He was present in court on October 4,
2007, when Los Angeles Superior Court
Judge David Wesley ordered him held
without bail pending an arraignment
hearing on October 25, 2007.
Prosecutors had asked for bail to be
set at $5.1 million.
Three arrest warrants also have been
issued for Anand Jon in Dallas County,
Texas, where authorities said they
plan to seek indictments for sexual
assault and extradite him after his
California case concludes.
Criminal investigations against him
are also under way in New York and
Massachusetts.
Anand Jon Alexander came to the United
States from India as a teen with his
sister and mother. He graduated from
the Parsons School of Design in
New York in 1998 and began his career
by designing jewelry and clothing.
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