Crystal Court Rape Report Was Bogus, Police Conclude

The 22-year-old woman who claimed she was raped in the underground garage of the Crystal Court shopping center this year was lying to cover up an extramarital affair she was having, police said Friday.

The Mission Viejo woman reported that a 5-foot-10, 160-pound man with blond hair and wearing dark sunglasses forced her into her car in the garage and raped her on the night of Jan. 3, police said.

But when investigators started asking questions, her story began to unravel, Lt. Ron Smith said.

Police investigators were curious why her attacker would be wearing sunglasses at night, and under questioning the woman was vague about which stores she had visited.

Then police received an anonymous call from someone who said the woman was having an affair with a co-worker at the title company where they work in Santa Ana, Smith said. The tipster said she was at his apartment at the time of the alleged rape.

“I guess time slipped by, and she recognized that her husband would realize that she should be home,” Smith said. The rape “is the story that she fabricated to explain” coming home late.

Detectives plan to ask the Orange County district attorney’s office next week to charge the woman for making a false report to police, Smith said.

“I don’t think she recognized the scope of the investigation and how thorough it would be,” Smith said. “We consider rape to be a very serious crime, and she didn’t comprehend that her story wouldn’t hold up.”

Crystal Court officials said they were not angered by the false charge that the woman was raped on their premises, and said they would not pursue any claims against her.

“We’re relieved that no rapes took place,” said Suzanne Biallot, director of marketing for the shopping center.

No assaults have occurred in the 10-year-old mall, which has its own security staff and interior and exterior surveillance cameras. Though Costa Mesa police beefed up patrols of the area after the rape report, Crystal Court remained confident in its security.