SF Standard Podcast Probes Alleged Sex Crimes by Local Social Climber

Michael "Mickey" Gerold cultivated a reputation as an Army veteran and San Francisco nightlife fixture, moving through private clubs and accumulating powerful friends. According to his ex-girlfriend Emilia London, that lifestyle came with a hidden cost: she claims Gerold arranged for her to have sex with men for money, with the earnings totaling more than $100,000 flowing entirely to fund his way of life.

The San Francisco Standard's Pacific Standard Time podcast devoted its March 6 episode to unpacking the months-long investigation into London's allegations, featuring reporter Anya Schultz and produced by hosts Emily Dreyfuss and Jesse Alejandro Cottrell. The episode covers what motivated London to go public and traces how Schultz first encountered the story: she stumbled across it at San Francisco Family Court.

"Army veteran and San Francisco nightlife fixture Michael 'Mickey' Gerold led a seemingly charmed life of private clubs and powerful friends," the episode's show notes read. "But his ex-girlfriend Emilia London claims that behind closed doors, he arranged for her to have sex with men for money. The earnings, totaling more than $100,000, went completely to fund Gerold's lifestyle, London said."

The allegations remain just that. The supplied materials do not indicate that Gerold has been criminally charged or convicted of any offense. No response from Gerold or his representatives appears in available materials.

Pacific Standard Time is a weekly show hosted by Dreyfuss, the Standard's culture editor, and Cottrell, an enterprise reporter at the outlet. It launched with a trailer in November 2025 and releases new episodes each Wednesday. The Gerold investigation represents one of its more serious investigative turns; other recent episodes have examined AI's disruption of software engineering and the Castro Theatre's renovation. Episode transcripts are available at sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time.