Several Friends of Unfair Park who quite vividly recall the sordid story of fashion designer Anand Jon have sent this update: Yesterday, Jon was convicted in Los Angeles of raping and sexually assaulting aspiring models as young as 14. The conviction, though in California, will mean a great deal to many locals, because as Glenna Whitley reported in the paper version of Unfair Park in May 2007, he also is accused of sexually assaulting would-be models from Dallas, many of them also under-age.
In October '07, three arrest warrants on sexual assault charges were issued in Dallas County for the New York-based designer, once known for putting his name tags on the likes of Paula Abdul and Paris Hilton till reports of the assaults began circulating not only in Dallas and L.A., but also New York City. Only, whether he'll ever stand trial in Dallas remains up in the air. As the Associated Press notes, Jon now "faces possible life imprisonment after a Los Angeles Superior Court jury found him guilty on 16 criminal counts." --Robert Wilonsky
