Keith Nichols, 22 (Photo Courtesy LAPD)
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LOS ANGELES -- A 22-year-old man who police say posed as a magazine photographer and sexually assaulted four women turned himself in to police Thursday.
Keith Nichols was booked at the Los Angeles Police Department's Central division on suspicion of sexual battery, according to police.
"Keith Nichols is not a photographer," said Captain Blake Chow, commanding officer of Central Police Station.
"All young women, especially those riding local trains, need to know Nichols is a fraud and potentially dangerous."
Since early October, four women have reported meeting Nichols, who claimed he was a photographer for "Vibe" magazine, and submitting to a personal examination by him to "measure" their most intimate body parts for "custom-fitted underwear."
Police say Nichols told each woman that if their measurements were good enough, they could get a modeling job for Vibe Magazine. The measuring sessions often occurred spontaneously in secluded, public places, where Nichols used a measuring tape as a prop.
While none of the woman recalled him taking photographs, Nichols did touch the women's bare breasts and groins with his hands.
"These crimes amount only to a misdemeanor at this point," Chow added, "but the potential for a more serious crime is there. We don't know how many women Nichols has approached, how many have submitted, or if he has committed more serious crimes. Our goal today is to educate, warn, and stop this activity before it becomes more aggravated."
In two separate cases, police say Nichols met his victims on the light-rail line between Long Beach and Los Angeles. Each of these women referred a roommate to Nichols.
All the women hoped to score a modeling job, according to detectives.
Each realized she had been duped when Nichols never returned phone calls.
"The lure of Hollywood and a big career in modeling blinded these girls from reality," Chow said. "That's what con-artists rely on."
Police say Keith Nichols worked as a security guard. He has lived in Compton, Hawthorne and South Los Angeles.
Keith Nichols was booked at the Los Angeles Police Department's Central division on suspicion of sexual battery, according to police.
"Keith Nichols is not a photographer," said Captain Blake Chow, commanding officer of Central Police Station.
"All young women, especially those riding local trains, need to know Nichols is a fraud and potentially dangerous."
Since early October, four women have reported meeting Nichols, who claimed he was a photographer for "Vibe" magazine, and submitting to a personal examination by him to "measure" their most intimate body parts for "custom-fitted underwear."
Police say Nichols told each woman that if their measurements were good enough, they could get a modeling job for Vibe Magazine. The measuring sessions often occurred spontaneously in secluded, public places, where Nichols used a measuring tape as a prop.
While none of the woman recalled him taking photographs, Nichols did touch the women's bare breasts and groins with his hands.
"These crimes amount only to a misdemeanor at this point," Chow added, "but the potential for a more serious crime is there. We don't know how many women Nichols has approached, how many have submitted, or if he has committed more serious crimes. Our goal today is to educate, warn, and stop this activity before it becomes more aggravated."
In two separate cases, police say Nichols met his victims on the light-rail line between Long Beach and Los Angeles. Each of these women referred a roommate to Nichols.
All the women hoped to score a modeling job, according to detectives.
Each realized she had been duped when Nichols never returned phone calls.
"The lure of Hollywood and a big career in modeling blinded these girls from reality," Chow said. "That's what con-artists rely on."
Police say Keith Nichols worked as a security guard. He has lived in Compton, Hawthorne and South Los Angeles.
