Los Angeles, September 1
Celebrity Indian-American fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander was today sentenced to 59 years in prison by a court here for preying upon seven young aspiring models as young as 14 and sexually assaulting them.

Rejecting Jon's motions for a fresh trial, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Wesley announced the judgement, saying there were no new grounds for granting such a motion.

Thirtyfive-year-old Jon, who was acting as his own attorney, showed no reaction as the judge said he should be incarcerated as long as possible for preying upon young girls and women.

Jon stared ahead blankly as Judge Wesley handed down the hefty sentence and his victims wept in the jury box.

He was convicted in November for rape, sexual battery and performing lewd acts on a child. Jon was found not guilty of four felonies, and jurors could not reach a verdict on three counts.

“Jon has showed no remorse for his actions,” Wesley said. Jon also faces similar charges in New York and Texas where he has been indicted.

Judge Wesley said Jon must serve 14 years in state prison-before he begins to serve a 45 year to life sentence. He was denied bail. Jon was immediately remanded to the custody of the state Department of Corrections.

The designer has been featured on the television show “America's Next Top Model” and worked with celebrities as Paris Hilton and Mary J Blige.

Jon used most part of his defence to attack juror Alvin Dymally, who had reached out to his sister Sanjana, in an apparent attempt to woo her or to offer his assistance in influencing jury deliberations in his favour.

He also blasted investigators, saying they had done a poor job and did not provide all evidence to him. Kerala-born Jon said he should get a new trial because of the juror and prosecutorial misconduct, and inadequate defence by his former attorneys.

At one point in the case, Jon called his mother Shashi Abraham to the stand. Appearing as a witness, she told the court how Dymally had made casual; passing contact with her during the trial at one point reassuring her that Jon would be set free.

“I’m not perfect, but I’m not guilty,” Jon, was quoted as saying.

A bevy of beautiful women who said Jon sexually assaulted them filled the jury box. Some of them cried as the sentence was read by the judge.

“I was 14. You took my adolescence, my trust, my dream and completely manipulated them for your sexual desires,” one of the women said.

“It sickens me that a grown man can do such a thing to a girl,” the now 17-year-old girl said. “A girl who was naive and had the belief that all people were good. And you took that to your advantage.”

Prosecutors said the crimes started in 2001, when Jon set up a fashion design business through which he lured would-be models to Los Angeles. The police got involved in March 2007, after a woman said she was sexually assaulted at his Beverly Hills apartment. — PTI