Jon pleads guilty to one count in Manhattan courtroom.
By American Bazaar Staff
NEW YORK: Celebrity fashion designer Anand Jon was sentenced to five years Thursday in New York for forcing oral sex on a woman in Manhattan. He is currently facing a 59-year jail term in California for raping and assaulting young aspiring models.
Bar one, the 49-count indictment against Jon, 39, was dismissed after he admitted to a single count of forcing oral sex on a victim in Manhattan. The original charges were based on allegations he raped or molested 12 women.
The New York Daily News reports that the single count guilty plea admission deal was reached “to spare the victims from having to testify 10 years later,” prosecutor Maxine Rosenthal said, and in exchange — which gave a sliver of hope to Jon to have his term dismissed in California — prosecutors agreed to turn over documents his attorney believes will help his appeal in California.
Rosenthal argued Alexander, 39, is “a predator” and “a threat to the community,” and should be branded a high-risk sex offender. Judge Cassandra Mullen agreed Tuesday, branding him a level 3 offender, the highest-risk designation under the law in New York, reported the Daily News.
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One of Alexander’s attorneys, Kimberly Summers, said his defense team now has “what we think will effectively help us fight his California” conviction, referring to the documents Alexander scored in the deal.
Before his arrest, Jon had appeared on “America’s Next Top Model,” and his celebrity clients included Paris Hilton and Mary J. Blige.