A New York court has sentenced Indianfashion designer Anand Jon Alexander to five years jail for admittedly forcingoral sex on an aspiring female model under a plea bargain deal.
Alexander already serving 59 years to life in California for molesting 16would-be models had originally been charged in Manhattan with sex attacks on 12women and girls, including first degree rape.
Prosecutors dropped all but one of those cases when Alexander struck hisno-additional-jail plea deal here in February.
As his prison time in New York amounts to time already served, no years will beadded onto his California sentence, Alexander's attorney said.
At his sentencing Tuesday by a Manhattan Court, he was named a high-risk sexoffender and sexually violent predator. "Anand Jon is a predator. He is athreat to the community," assistant district attorney Maxine Rosenthalsaid.
Judge Cassandra Mullen ask Alexander several times if he had anything to sayabout his sentencing. "I'd like to thank everyone for being here," hefinally replied in a courtroom full of supporters, some wearing "FreeAnand Jon" t-shirts. But he did not apologize to the victim.
Known professionally as Anand Jon, India-born Alexander launched a fashion linein 1999 and built it into a high-flying career.
He was featured on "America's Next Top Model," worked with suchcelebrities as Paris Hilton and Mary J. Blige and was among 20 people profiledby Newsweek in 2006 as up-and-coming players in various industries.
Defence lawyers said Alexander hopes to overturn his California conviction byarguing he had ineffective counsel there.
Outside the court, his mother Shashi Abraham and sister Sanjana Jon bothproclaimed Alexander's innocence.
"Anand Jon is innocent and he will prove it. The truth will comeout," Jon said. "This is an innocent person who is beingvictimised."
"People do believe in his innocence. Look at how many people are heresupporting him, from all over," said Abraham.