Corporate headhunter convicted of sexually hunting women

(Original Post 3-3-08)

A corporate headhunter will be spending many years in prison for hunting women to rape. Joseph T. Joseph, 35, did so by passing himself off as a Viacom official looking for a personal assistant and offering women chances to meet stars like Jay Z and Beyonce. He has done so 30 times over the past decade, or once every 4 months. Twice these sexual cons escalated to rape.

[February 29] a judge convicted Joseph T. Joseph, 35, of forcibly confining and sexually assaulting two women in separate incidents – one threatened with a handgun – who believed they were meeting him for a job interview.

"I only muse that his behaviour was heading to something more serious," said Superior Court Justice Faye McWatt.

"This guy is a sexual predator. He's a liar and a con man."

The attack has totally altered the victims' lives. They've lost confidence in their own ability to judge character, Smith said.

Prosecutor Jerry Brienza declined comment.

The judge ruled that in two incidents in June and July of 2005, the young women agreed to meet Joseph at a coffee shop for a job interview.

He then pressured them to get into his SUV, where he locked the doors and forced them to perform oral sex before letting them go, she said.

With the second woman, he changed the meeting venue from the Rogers Centre area to east Toronto at the last minute because he was short of time, having agreed to join his wife and son in church, court heard.

A 17 year old girl who Joseph tried to lure into his car ran away when he offered to take her to get her hair and nails done. She said "No," and he grabbed her shoulders. She told the principal of her school, Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute, who called police. He was convicted of assault in that incident. Sentencing is set for May 22.

(Update 4-16-09) Joseph was sentenced to 5 years in prison for assaulting two women and a teenage girl by Ontario Superior Court Justice Faye McWatt today. Viacom actually had an inch-thick file about the Toronto impersonator, who ran his own headhunting firm, J Squared Staffing Solutions Inc.

While convicted of 3 rapes, it is alleged that Joseph coerced 30 women and girls into sex over the past decade. The judge cited Joseph's lack of remorse along with denunciation for the 5 year sentence.