Designer Anand Jon Charged With Rape, Molestation AGAIN
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NEW YORK — Fallen fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander used drugs, threats and the lure of modeling jobs as he conducted a campaign of sexual molestation involving a dozen women, prosecutors said Friday in a case that echoes charges that sent him to prison in California.
Wearing a white shirt and tan drawstring pants, the one-time rising design star said nothing but "not guilty" as he was arraigned in a Manhattan court on a raft of rape and other charges dating to 2002.
Alexander preyed on the women, then ages 15 to 26, after contacting them with offers of modeling opportunities, prosecutors said.
He rendered at least two women physically helpless by drugging them, and he told one teenager he would hurt her if she reported her rape to authorities, the indictment said.
The Manhattan District Attorney's office had disclosed some of its charges against Alexander in 2007, after his arrest in the California case. But new charges and details – such as the allegations of drugging and threats – emerged at his arraignment Friday.
Alexander's lawyer, Adam Freedman, said he was new to the case and couldn't shed more light on it.
The Manhattan case had been on hold while the California prosecution played out. Alexander was convicted in Los Angeles in 2008 of sexually assaulting seven women and girls, some as young as 14. Some also were aspiring models lured with promises of jobs and stays at luxury hotels.
Alexander, 36, was sentenced in Los Angeles in August to 59 years to life in prison.
Alexander maintained his innocence throughout the California case. His lawyers argued many of the women lied to get revenge against him after they didn't get modeling jobs.
Alexander, known professionally as Anand Jon, had a high-flying career before sex assault allegations began surfacing in 2007. He was featured on "America's Next Top Model," worked with such celebrities as Paris Hilton and Mary J. Blige and was among 20 people profiled by Newsweek in 2006 as up-and-coming players in various industries.
Beverly Hills police began investigating Alexander in March 2007 after a woman reported she had been sexually assaulted in his apartment.
Born in India, Alexander graduated from the Parsons School of Design in New York and launched a fashion line in 1999. His now-defunct Web site described him as "one of the young visionaries of our time," with an approach "representing the synergy of the East and the West."
The New York charges carry a potential sentence of 25 years to life.
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JENNIFER PELTZ 01/29/10 07:31 PM ET Associated Press