Anand Jon Update

A while back, I brought you news that India-born designer Anand Jon was facing charges of assault and sexual misconduct with minors. At the time, while some asked me not to jump the gun and deem him guilty, still others came forward with what they assured me were personal tales of his wild behavior.

Well, it seems the second group were on to something because news broke yesterday that Jon is now facing a grand total of
46 (no, no, ladies and gents, that is not a typo) counts of rape, lewd acts on a child and assault against a group of women and girls aged between 14 and 27. Those 46 charges include 40 felonies and 6 misdemeanors.

For those of you unfamiliar with the American justice system, that means he’s going away for life if convicted.

Of course, his attorney maintains that this is a sort of modern variant of The Crucible. A whisper campaign by disaffected models pouting because they hadn’t hit the big time like he promised them, now running out of control and likely to land an innocent man in jail on grievous charges.

I think Jon’s attorney should save his breath because he’s going to need it. Jon, who was previously released on a conditional bail of $1.3 million in Los Angeles, is now facing investigation in Texas and New York. In fact, he was taken away in handcuffs by Texas police when he appeared in court to face the 13 new charges – TMZ has video if you’re interested.

The L.A. prosecutors, meanwhile, have recommended that his bail be increased to $2.5 million, calling him a “serial” sexual predator. Jon’s mother and sister, fashion designer Sanjana Jon, were also present in court and were reportedly devastated by these new developments.

But at least somebody’s keeping their sense of humor intact. Innocent or guilty, it’s going to be a long, sordid tale by the time it comes to end. As for me, I blame Paris. Because I can.

Update : Now it’s 59 charges and counting.