Former Laguna Beach rug store manager pleads not guilty to sex crimes

A former Laguna Beach rug store manager accused of multiple sex crimes against women pleaded not guilty to all felony charges Monday in a Santa Ana courtroom.

Attorney John Barnett, standing in Superior Court next to his client, Saeid Maralan, 57, said Maralan denies the nine charges, which include rape, sexual penetration by a foreign object, attempted oral copulation and distributing lewd material to a minor.

The alleged crimes occurred from 2007 to 2011, when Maralan oversaw the now-shuttered Sirous & Sons Rug Gallery on Ocean Avenue.

Female customers alleged that Maralan made advances toward them. In August 2007, a 49-year-old woman accused Maralan of pulling down his pants and exposing himself, prosecutors have said. He allegedly grabbed her hands and tried to get her to touch him, according to prosecutors.

The Orange County district attorney originally filed 14 counts, including 11 felonies, against Maralan, but whittled the list down to the current nine charges.

At a December hearing, Barnett objected to two of the nine counts, arguing that evidence and testimony did not meet legal standards. Barnett also questioned a Laguna Beach detective’s work ethic, saying the allegations should have received further scrutiny.

A pretrial hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. April 15.