By IANS
Washington : Indian-born fashion designer Anand Jon, held in a US jail on charges of raping or sexually assaulting 20 young aspiring models, has been given conditional bail with a bond of nearly $2.1 million.
Lawyers for Jon, 33, who has denied the charges and claimed some of the women made the allegations to seek fame, said it could take a few days to post the bail.
Anthony Brooklier, one of Jon’s attorneys, said his client was “anxious to get out of jail”, according to media reports from Los Angeles.
Jon must wear an electronic monitor, cannot leave Los Angeles County without permission and must stay away from any woman under 21 who is not a relative, Superior Court Judge David S. Wesley ruled Wednesday.
He is due back in court on Dec 6 for a pre-trial hearing.
Jon was indicted on Sep 27 by a Los Angeles County grand jury on 54 felony charges and five misdemeanour counts, including rape, sexual battery by restraint and lewd acts upon a minor. He was jailed without bail when the indictment was unsealed Oct 4.
Prosecutors alleged he assaulted women ranging in age from 14 to 27, who came from three countries and nine US states, between Nov 2002 and last March.
They alleged he met women on the Internet and assaulted them when they visited him to pursue modelling opportunities. Jon faces similar sex charges in Texas and is under investigation in New York.
The India-born designer has worked with celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Michelle Rodriguez and Mary J. Blige.
According to Jon’s website, he was a judge for the Miss India beauty pageant in 2002 and was selected by Newsweek as one of the most successful South Asians in the world in 2004. He was named the 2002-03 Fashion Week of the Americas International New Star and was profiled on the TV show “America’s Next Top Model” in 2003.