News Release - Bakersfield Police Department
The Bakersfield Police Department is asking for the community's assistance in locating a suspect wanted for sexual battery by false pretenses, false impersonation, indecent exposure, and theft.
The Bakersfield Police Department has been actively investigating similar purported incidents, whereby female victims have answered job postings from various internet sites targeting the Los Angeles area. The postings solicited females to work various positions as personal assistants,
models, and actresses.
The women who contacted Bakersfield Police officers to describe what had occurred ranged in age from between 20 and 53 years old. The women were from Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Los Angeles, North Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Westlake and West Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, and the city of Orange in Orange County.
Female respondents to the job postings were contacted by a male who identified himself as an employee or talent scout for major television networks.
The suspect utilized legitimate trademarks and employee names of major television networks as part of his illicit offenses. He also used email addresses that appear to be legitimate television networks and employment related forms with legitimate business trademarks.
The suspect convinced female victims, primarily from the Los Angeles area, to travel to Bakersfield in order to interview and audition for film industry related jobs that were supposed to occur in the Bakersfield area.
The suspect would meet the victims in local eating establishments or hotels. Through these cases, the suspect has obtained the victims’ personal identity information, has convinced them to use their own personal credit cards to purchase items under the false promise of reimbursement, or have been convinced to perform sexual acts under false pretense of job employment.
Specifically in two cases, the suspect asked the females to rent hotel rooms where auditions would be conducted. He persuaded these victims, through false pretense of financial gains, employment, and the promise of meeting renowned actors to do various sexual acts with him as part of an audition for movie roles.
He was also able to swindle the victims of additional money for incidental expenditures and hotel room rental fees.
The suspect, has been identified as 45-year old Anthony Augustus Jefferson. The suspect's last known address was where the crimes allegedly occurred in Bakersfield but the suspect previously lived in West Los Angeles.
An arrest warrant for Jefferson’s arrest was issued on the evening of September 7, 2012. The charges are for P.C. 234.4(c) – Sexual Battery by False Pretense, P.C. 529 – False Impersonation, two counts P.C. 314.1 – Indecent Exposure, and two counts P.C. 488 (petty theft).
The following are tips to assist persons using the internet to look for employment:
• Research the company and confirm it is a legitimate business;
• Do not provide your personal identifying information unless you are certain it is a legitimate business;
• Be cautious of meeting in hotel rooms, or other private locations, without first verifying the validity of the job and the full nature of the interview or audition.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call the Bakersfield Police Department at 661-327-7111, or Detective Rodrigues at 661-326-3870.
You can now send an anonymous text message to the Bakersfield Police Department. It’s quick and it’s easy. Simply enter 274637 into your phone and text BPDCrimes along with your message. The text is sent to the police department and the sender remains completely anonymous. Tips can also be anonymously sent through the smart phone “tip submit” mobile App or via email at https://www.tipsubmit.com.
Bakersfield Police Department Greg Williamson, Chief of Police
Nicole Nishida, Public Information Officer
Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau - Newsroom
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
323-267-4800
http://www.lasd.org
[email protected]
www.Nixle.com
http://nixle.com/lasd----hq-newsroom-shb-los-angeles-county-sheriff/
Twitter @LASD_News http://twitter.com/#!/LASD_News
http://www.facebook.com/LosAngelesCountySheriffsDepartment
Leroy D. Baca, Sheriff
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
Partner to prevent or report crime by contacting your local Sheriff’s station. Or if you wish to remain Anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org
To receive more detailed, up-to-date information directly from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) via e-mail, register for "Nixle" alerts at www.Nixle.com or more directly at https://local.nixle.com/register/ and register for "LASD – Headquarters Newsroom (SHB), Los Angeles County Sheriff" and your local LASD station area. Or, text your zip code to 888777 to receive text alerts only. Standard text messaging rates may apply depending on your calling plan.
