16 is the age of consent in most of the US (by land area at least). Not that US laws around sex are necessarily good policy, but it reflects that there is no broad societal consensus on whether or not the 16-year-olds have the ability to consent.
If I -- someone in their mid 40's -- had a friend my age who had a string of sex partners that were are 16, 17, 18 and gained access to those individuals through a network constructed from fame and friends, they would cease to be my friend because that is pretty disgusting, laws be-damned.
(and you seem to not factor in that many statutory rape laws have age gap determinants)
I'm quite sympathetic to what you're saying, what he did was very creepy regardless of legality. I merely take issue with the idea that 16 year olds cannot consent - most people seem to think they can if the legal standards is to be used a rough indicator of societal consensus, and I can also remember being 16. That doesn't mean I think it's OK for people to molest children or that adults structuring their lives around access to teenagers or children isn't likely criminal predatory behavior.
