Today, in Los Angeles, Anand Jon was convicted of rape and sexual assault.
A Beverly Hills fashion designer was found guilty today of sexually assaulting seven girls and young women, capping a two-month trial that offered a sordid portrait of the fashion world.
The jury of six men and six women deliberated for seven days before finding Anand Jon Alexander guilty of one count of rape and 15 counts of sexual assault and other charges.
The designer, who goes by the professional name of Anand Jon, sat silently in court wearing a light gray suit and yellow tie as the court clerk announced the jury’s verdicts. Behind him, his sister sobbed as she sat with friends and family in the crowded downtown Los Angeles courtroom. [LAT]
Obviously, the culprit– how I love that especially brown word– saw things differently. A charming snippet of a screen shot from one of his official sites, which clearly explains how Jon sees himself is below:
Some of you may remember Jon from his memorable stint on the blink-tastic reality program America’s Next Not-Quite-Top Model, the show which elevates women (Eva Panni-ford, I’m looking at your unpleasant kundi) who are too short or too old to succeed in the industry to…mediocre heights. On ANnqTM, Anand was an utter douche to fellow Malayalee Julie Ann Titus during season three. But I digress.
Jon, 34, a rising designer who had dressed socialite Paris Hilton and singer Janet Jackson before his arrest last year, faces possible life imprisonment after a Los Angeles Superior Court jury found him guilty on 16 criminal counts.
The crimes involved lewd acts on a child, rape and sexual battery in assaults between 2001 and 2007 against nine would-be models aged between 14 and 21. He was also convicted of possessing child pornography. [Reuters]
Oh, and what pr0n it was. Said an…interesting …post which was sympathetic to the disgraced designer:
Porn troves found on his computers came from commercial sites. The fact that these sites had names like Gag on My Cock and Teens Tits & Ass doesn’t make them illegal kiddie porn Web sites or newsgroups. [LAweekly]
Hmmm. Why does the name of that latter site seem so jarring– OH RIGHT. Because he was convicted of preying on girls who were as young as 14.
Prosecutors said Jon lured girls and women to Los Angeles with the promise they could work as models and then attacked them.
“He humiliated, degraded and took what he wanted from them. He was a predator who took advantage of the weak people around him. He has no criminal sexual borders. If he didn’t use force, he laced their drinks,” prosecutor Frances Young told the jury. [Reuters]
Jon, whose full name is Anand Jon Alexander, denied the charges. His lawyers said the girls and young women were revenge seekers who had made up their stories or who had “invited what happened,” and that there was little physical evidence.[Reuters]
Classy. The old, “she was asking for it”-strategery.
Jon’s high-powered defense team sought to point up inconsistencies in the accounts of his accusers, portraying them as liars engaged in a shadowy plot to bring down the up-and-coming designer.
In their closing arguments, prosecutors conceded that some of the girls were far from “perfect victims” and described the Beverly Hills police investigation as “sloppy.” But they urged jurors to focus on similarities in the testimony of the many alleged victims.
Jon faces a 67-year wait before he is eligible for parole.
just to belabor the desi connection, did he raise fewer suspicions and get more opportunities than a man of different race with similar personality, background and occupation would have got because of the nice-harmless-hardworking brown immigrant stereotype?
I think it’s sickening that specific commentators are trying to shift the blame from Jon to the parents of these young women and these girls/women themselves. It shows a gross lack of information, empathy, and understanding of the experiences women face, and it’s further demeaning in that it presumes men are beasts who cannot be trusted to conform to social principles, and it assumes women have a responsibility to prevent these “unstoppable predators” from preying on them. Are you insane? Rape and sexual assault is not about sex or lustfulness; it’s about power, control, and violence. Consent, and with that the notion that consent is freely given (not bartered or manipulated), is huge in this. A pattern or background of (consensual) sexual history does not mean it’s impossible for someone to rape the other person later.
Camille, I half agree and half don’t. As someone who argues for marital rape to be recognized in India (not an easy task), I know that one can have a consensual and mutual relationship with a partner and still be raped by that very same partner. I am not arguing for Jon to go free. I am pointing out some discrepencies in the behaviour of parents of minors, whom they are responsible for by law. It is not withing the realm of common sense to drop your underage daughter off at the hotel room of a man you have just meant that morning, especially a man in the highly sexualized fashion industry. If these parents still see nothing wrong with that then God help them, their children and their grand-children, and even their pets.
wow.
a lot of blame shifting and inconsequential facts. it’s really disheartening to read these comments.
it gives perspective though to some of the facts of our south asian reality – eve teasing, high levels of child molestation, rape victims being blamed and killed to preserve “honor”.
as much as we like to think we have evolved as a culture, there is clearly still lots of work we have to do in our community.
sick, just sick.
95 · Amitabh said
aka “they wanted it later, so it’s their fault”. amitabh once again proves his credentials as a card carrying cave dweller. not a clue about rape victims, or predatory sexual behavior, and these men are always ready to profess how others should act. disgusting thread.
10 · Rakesh said
I think he’s trying to pull off a second-rate ‘blue steel.’ Or is it Magnum?
Nobody is suggesting Jon should not pay for his crimes. However, as is the case in the marital rape scenarios of India, more than just jailtime for husbands has to be contemplated. We have to consider what social and cultural phenomena are at work that create an environment for marital rape to happen. One could say, well, marriage itself is one such phenomena and how are we gonna eliminate that? But it’s more to do with notions about marriage and the “wife’s role” than the institution of marriage itself.
So in the case of Jon and his victims, there are also some social and cultural phenonmena to be explored. That does not mean criminals are then let off the hook. But perhaps it means we come closer to understanding how we can mitigate factors, mindsets and events that lead up to the crime in the first place.
I like that anything any brown person does automatically reflects poorly on all the rest of us and our myriad cultures.
That said, it is entirely possible for decent people to find Jon’s actions despicable AND still think that almost 70 years of jail time is an appropriate sentence for that. Clemency is still considered a virtue right? I doubt after 20 years this tool is going to be much of a threat to anyone.
Resources being finite, I’d much rather spend our money on offering therapy to the victims than locking up the perps for life. The perps need to be locked up for a decent length of time, of course, but I’m more of a “fix the problems” kind of guy rather than a “hurt the bad guys” guy. Deterrence is important and retribution is nice to have, but wasting too money on punishment and not putting enough in help for those harmed just seems counterproductive.
86 · Oblig. ‘Office Space’ ref. said
The moral of this story: Don’t become a serial rapist if you don’t want to get your cocoa puffs pushed in…
108 · NaraVara said
I was not referring to jon’s actions. I was referring to the comments on this board in response to his crimes.
as much as I am proud of our “myriad of cultures”, I am not proud of what I interpret as troublesome attitudes towards women.
it’s a reality and it is apparent in some of the comments posted here.
I hate the “stop blaming all brown people” defense. we need to admit our problems.
I’m glad some people think they’ll have the common sense to stop at 3 drinks. Of course, this is a thought generated during sobriety. After you’ve had 3 drinks, you’re not as sober anymore. So who’s to say your mind will function the same then as it does now? As much as you may pound your chest about your common sense, kudos, but not everyone has that level of common sense. Sober or inebriated.
And about the freedom to dress how you want: yes, you have that freedom. Wear whatever you want. But like freedom of speech, it only guarantees your ability to say anything; consequences are not free. You should understand that dressing a certain way may invite unwanted attention. You can only control 50% of a situation– what you do. The other half– the other person– is not in your hands. And there are too many off-kilter men who see high skirts and low tops as a green light. The best you can do yourself is be half-safe.
About the freedom to drink in public: drink as much as you want, but again, know that doing so has the potential to welcome a host of problems. You are only in control of 50%, but the more you drink, the lower that percent of conscious control falls.
Why did Anand Jon prey on females? Why do predators go after the innocent? Why did the girls go back? Why do girls wear too little or drink too much? Why did parents allow their children to enter the world of fashion? Everything plays a part.
This is an embarrassment for brown people. He is honestly a disgrace!!
Campmuir are you saying that desi culture is harsher on women than other cultures? Are you saying there is something in the general Indian mindset that is corrupt with regards women and sexuality? Are you saying that desi society is pitted against women? If so, why do you think this is?
Jon is not a pedophile He is a ephebiphile ( sex with teenagers ) In most countries, until recent times, the age of consent / marraige was 14
I think he did nothing different from the thousands of other casting couch agents and he is being made an example of solely due to his race
Anyone remember Roman Polanski
He did casting couch sex with a 13 year old and fled to France from where he is not extradited
Of course Jon is a scumbag, but no worse than the other casting couch agents and he was not a rich white like Roman Polanski
People are so quick to point their finger and shake their fists. It’s disgusting.
114 · L&O special desi unit said
i am not saying that all of desi culture is pitted against women – but there are some deep, fundamental and ingrained attitudes we must face and examine and try to evolve from.
it goes back to thousands of years ago when menstruating women were not allowed to pray, participate in society (in hindu religion).
in mythology, why was sita’s chastity questioned by her subjects when she was rescued from her kidnapper and returned to her husband? why did her self-imposed “return” (i.e. suicide) to mother earth in response to the scrutiny grant her a title of “ideal hindu woman”?
fast forward to 2008:
interestingly, ancient cultures that followed the menstruation mandate have evolved (catholics, american indians). not so in india. don’t try entering a temple if you have your period. women who are raped are considered “soiled”. at times, they are married to their rapists. they are oftentimes blamed. college girls walking down the street are subject to relentless harassment for no reason. try riding a public bus in a rural town without getting fondled.
i will be burnt at the stake on this board for saying this – but yes, i personally believe there is some fundamental mindset in our desi culture pitted against women.
now of course i am not saying ALL south asians are guilty of this – but there is a thread we’ve seemed to inherit as a culture.
Nobody attacks modern western secular culture which produced Anand Jon and his victims. Modern western secular culture has spread to towns and cities of India. Westerners, quick to attack the ills of traditional cultures, seem blind to the faults of a culture in which the sale of pornography is defended on grounds of freedom of speech, marriage is attacked as an instrument of female oppression and religious constraints are derided as superstition.
college girls walking down the street are subject to relentless harassment for no reason. try riding a public bus in a rural town without getting fondled. This happens in America, Japan, France and just about anywhere else I have been where public spaces get crowded.
Campmuir, I agree. However I’ve entered temples several times while menstruating, and I’ve also participated in rituals on my period as well. I don’t wear t-shirts saying, “got cramps?.” What they don’t know won’t hurt ’em.
If he did force them, sure, he should be punished. However, let’s not forget that most girls were actually an year or so away from their teen-dom and not exactly innocent little girls. It might be time to keep ‘Pretty Persuasion’, the movie, in mind. How can one ever be sure in this he said she said scenarios? But he should have known better than to pursue underage girls.
As a survivor of sexual violence, some of these comments make me want to shake, from rage and flashbacks which I desperately don’t care to relive.
My father kept me under lock and key (see: post linked above). He didn’t drive me to some hotel for a modeling gig; I guess to some of you, that means I’m one of the “acceptable” victims. So…I didn’t deserve what I once lived through– but these girls did? Should we create a litmus test for women who’ve been violated, regarding whether they deserve compassion and/or justice? Maybe we should ascertain an answer to that in ERs, then we can charge for rape kits and save money: “Were you potentially asking for it? Almost the age of consent? The same age my great Aunt was when SHE got hitched 102 years ago? Because if you were or are, I’m going to have to ask for proof of insurance before I humiliate you further…”
As a human, some of these comments make me sick. I do not care how old your Grandmother was when she got married. It doesn’t make having sex with a minor acceptable. At all.
And Raja, as someone who lived through this, kindly take your bafflement– i.e. your misplaced bitterness over another thread, where your sexually graphic comments were rightfully deleted by our admins– and choke on it.
90 · Raja said
I don’t believe that I am the one with idiotic beliefs. Be gone with your regressive, disrespectful self.