Laguna Beach Rug Store Owner Accused Of Multiple Sexual Assaults
LAGUNA BEACH (CBS) — Orange County officials are asking for the public's help in identifying potential victims of a registered sex offender who has been charged with sexually assaulting three women in his Laguna Beach rug store.
Saeid Boustanabadi Maralan, 53, Laguna Niguel, has been charged with one felony count each of forcible rape, attempted forcible rape, sexual penetration by foreign object by force, and distributing pornography to a minor.
He was arraignment was scheduled for Tuesday, but was pushed to Oct. 7.
Maralan's arrest Thursday came more than a year after the first two incidents were reported to Laguna Beach police.
Authorities say the first incidents occurred in April and May of 2010 at his rug store, Sirous and Sons, 222 Ocean Avenue in Laguna Beach.
According to a statement from the Orange County District Attorney's office, Maralan raped two of the women in a back storage room.
"Unfortunately, both female victims at the time decided to back out of the investigation. That doesn't mean law enforcement then stops it. We sent one of our female detectives in there undercover. He got her into the back room area. She felt a little uneasy about what was gonna take place and she ended up leaving," said Lt. Jason Kravetz.
Police later conducted another undercover sting. They say it wasn't long before Maralan asked her to dinner and invited her on a European trip, but no criminal activity took place.
As DNA from the first two crimes was being analyzed, authorities say two other sex crimes occurred at the store. Maralan is accused of showing pornography to a 17-year-old intern and assaulting a woman who applied to for a job at the store.
"This is a horrible thing for any woman to go through . . . this is somebody who is very dangerous and that needs to be in prison . . . .," said Susan Schroeder of the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
If convicted, Maralan faces a maximum sentence of 34 years to life in prison.
He is being held on $1 million bail.
Anyone with additional information or who believes they have been a victim should contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Lou Gutierrez at (714) 347-8794 or LBPD Detectives Natalie Leal or Julia Bowman at (949) 497- 0377.
