Fashion Designer Anand Jon Alexander’s Legal Troubles Get Even Messier

At the end of last year, fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander, who was featured on “America’s Next Top Model” and has worked with celebs like Paris Hilton and Mary J. Blige, was convicted of raping seven aspiring models between the ages of 14 and 21. Now, the case has gotten even more messed up. Last week, the LA district attorney’s office released a transcript of a phone conversation between a juror who sat on Alexander’s trial and Alexander’s sister Sanjana. In it, the juror flirted with Sanjana, saying he thought she was sexy and wanted to see her after the trial. She had called him after he slipped her his number a couple times during the trial and said she did so against orders from the judge because she didn’t want to anger the juror. In the taped phone conversation, Sanjana didn’t say much beyond “thank you” to the juror’s advances.

Defense attorneys for Alexander say Sanjana spurned the juror, causing him to change his vote to “guilty,” thus convicting Alexander. A hearing is set to resume today over the request for a new trial for Alexander. But even if he does get one, this isn’t the only thing standing in his way of resuming his designing. Alexander faces similar charges in New York involving nine women. [LA Times, CBS News]