Anand Jon

The fate of Beverly Hills fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander appeared sealed last year when 12 jurors found him guilty of sexually assaulting young women in a trial that made international headlines. But nearly eight months later, the focus of the case has shifted from the charges against the Indian-born designer to accusations against one of the jurors who convicted him. Juror No.

A Los Angeles County judge upheld the sexual assault conviction of Beverly Hills fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander on Monday, ruling that a juror's contact with the defendant's sister before the verdicts did not prevent a fair trial.

Celebrity fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander was sentenced to 59 years to life in prison Monday afternoon for sexually assaulting seven young women and girls he enticed with the promise of modeling jobs. Alexander, acting as his own attorney, presented a lengthy argument asking for a new trial because of juror and prosecutorial misconduct. He also alleged inadequate defense by his former attorneys. Judge David Wesley denied the request. Alexander stared ahead blankly as Wesley handed down the sentence.

The 20-year-old aspiring model looked rattled as she choked back tears. She had told a downtown Los Angeles jury that fashion designer Anand Jon had raped her, but now a defense attorney was confronting her with a stack of records that cast doubt on her testimony. As she struggled to explain herself, she told the court dozens of times that she did not recall some of the details surrounding the alleged assault and afterward. The defense lawyer posed a simple question.

Jurors deliberating in the rape trial of fashion designer Anand Jon told the court Wednesday they had reached verdicts on some of the 23 charges he faces, authorities said. Superior Court Judge David S. Wesley told the panel to keep deliberating but said he would read their verdicts this afternoon, said district attorney's spokeswoman Jane Robison. The announcement follows Wesley's decision earlier this week to deny prosecutors' request to replace a juror who fellow panelists accused of failing to properly deliberate and discuss evidence in the case.

A Beverly Hills fashion designer, once touted as a future star of the catwalks, was found guilty Thursday 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.

Prominent fashion designer Anand Jon has been charged with multiple counts of rape and sexual assault involving three alleged victims, the youngest a 15-year-old girl, prosecutors said Tuesday. Beverly Hills police arrested Jon on March 6 after a woman said he raped her. The 33-year-old designer to the stars, whom Newsweek named one of the people to watch in its "Who's Next in 2007" issue, remains jailed.

This was supposed to be a big week for Anand Jon. The fashion designer, who earlier this year was on Newsweek magazine's list of people to watch in 2007, was about to unveil a new line during L.A. Fashion Week. Instead, the headlines are focused on his arrest in Beverly Hills for allegedly sexually assaulting seven women and girls who modeled for him over the last three years. On Monday, prosecutors charged Jon, 33, with 15 felony and five misdemeanors counts.

Prosecutors filed 13 new criminal charges Wednesday against a celebrity fashion designer accused of sexually assaulting women and girls. Anand Jon now faces 27 felony and five misdemeanor counts for incidents that occurred between 2002 and 2007, said Jane Robison, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. The new charges include rape, lewd acts on a child and false imprisonment.

Celebrity fashion designer Anand Jon, who is accused of sexually assaulting a dozen women and girls, was charged by Los Angeles County prosecutors Tuesday with attacks on six other women, and authorities in Dallas have a warrant for his arrest on similar charges. Including the 13 new counts, Jon, 33, now faces 46 criminal charges. Among the 40 felony and six misdemeanor charges are accusations of rape, lewd acts on a child and false imprisonment.