A San Francisco socialite who ran in elite tech circles is accused of pimping out his girlfriend to Silicon Valley executives as part of a sordid sexual scheme to raise cash.
Emilia London met Michael Gerold when she was 26 and he was 53, quickly falling in love with the high-flying power player, she told the San Francisco Standard.
Gerold, who frequented exclusive San Francisco clubs and said he made his fortune in real estate, wooed London by taking her to ritzy dinners and private clubs — while also arranging for them to have group sex, she explained.
After London moved into his high-rise apartment, she was stunned when Gerold told her he was broke due to a messy divorce.
Claiming he needed money, Gerold set up a profile for London on a “sugar dating” website and began selling her for sex, she told the Standard.
He would allegedly schedule “personal training” sessions for her lasting 60 to 90 minutes, during which she would sleep with bankers, venture capitalists and a tech CEO. London estimated she had sex for money about 60 times over a year and a half — with Gerold raking in more than $100,000.
London has given a detailed account of her experience in family court while pursuing of a domestic violence restraining order against Gerold, according to the Standard.
After she spoke out, more women came forward to lodge accusations against Gerold — with a police report last year including 10 alleged victims of rape or drugging.
Back in 1999, he was charged in military court with the rape and indecent assault of a West Point graduate before the charges were dismissed.
A ex-fiancee claimed he asked her to work as a stripper and believed almost everything in their relationship revolved around sex.
His first wife told the Standard that Gerold didn’t work and spent on her dime, and that he would “forget” his credit card when they went on trips togehter.
His second wife Lisa accused him of coercing her into liquidating her retirement account and promising repayment that never came.
Gerold also claimed that he was a wounded military veteran, and allegedly wore military honors like the Bronze Star and purple heart without having received the honors, the Standard reported.
He used his alleged status as a war hero to rake in thousands of dollars in donations from a veterans nonprofit organization but never reported what he did with the funds.
“He’s like the “Epstein of the West,” said Anthony Alfidi, a former San Francisco Veterans Affairs commissioner who has tried to expose Gerold’s reported wrongdoings in the military community for nearly two decades.
Gerold allegedly concealed his past by paying $20,000 to an online reputation management company that suppresses negative search results.
He denied much of London’s account, calling her a “pathological liar” and claiming any money she gave him went to cover rent and shared household expenses, the Standard reported.
He also denied raping the West Point grad, as well as accusations that he drugged any women or asked his ex to work as a stripper.
Gerold claimed “multiple women” who spoke to the Standard “have made false accusations.”
