Man Accused in Rapes May Face More Charges

Ventura County prosecutors plan to file additional charges today against Andrew Stuart Luster, 36, after another woman reported being drugged, raped and videotaped by the man at his Mussel Shoals home, authorities said.

The woman, a 27-year-old former girlfriend of the defendant, is the third alleged victim to be identified by authorities in the past week.

Ventura County Sheriff’s Department officials have fielded more than a dozen calls from other women and are now stepping up their investigation of Luster, an avid surfer who lives off family trust funds created by the Max Factor fortune.

“We’re following up on the other calls we’ve received,” department spokesman Eric Nishimoto said. “We’re starting to look at other counties in the state as well as Nevada.”

Law enforcement officials say they expect additional victims to come forward in the days and weeks ahead.

“It’s kind of like we’ve just scratched the surface,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Becky Day, who said she plans to file additional rape charges against Luster today in connection with the third alleged sex-and-video assault.

Day said she also plans to file a motion to increase Luster’s $1-million bail on the grounds he poses a significant threat to the community.

“We will be filing charges before the arraignment,” Day said. “We believe he is a flight risk and a danger to the public. We are going to be asking for another increase of bail.”

Luster, great-grandson to cosmetics company owner Max Factor, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of drugging and raping a 21-year-old Santa Barbara woman he met at a bar and allegedly brought back to his Ocean Avenue home.

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The woman told authorities that Luster served her an alcoholic beverage he later claimed to have spiked with “liquid ecstasy,” a slang term for a drug known as GHB, or gamma hydroxybutyrate.

While searching Luster’s oceanfront home, authorities said, they seized vials of an unknown liquid they suspect is GHB. They said they also found photographs and homemade videos depicting a least five sedated or unconscious women engaged in sex acts.

Authorities suspect the women were victims of sexual assaults, and in one case have charged Luster in a Dec. 2, 1997, rape of an unidentified woman shown on one of the videotapes.

Luster appeared in Ventura County Superior Court on Monday to answer a 21-count complaint alleging he had drugged, raped and unlawfully videotaped that woman and the Santa Barbara woman. He did not enter a plea and, an arraignment was set for next Tuesday.

The third victim came forward after seeing media reports of Luster’s arrest, authorities said. She told detectives Monday afternoon that she was also drugged and sexually assaulted by Luster during a past relationship.

Detectives allowed the woman to view portions of one videotape taken from Luster’s home in which the woman is allegedly shown engaging in sex acts. Authorities said she told investigators she never gave permission to be videotaped.

Based on her statements, detectives rearrested Luster at the Ventura County Main Jail. His arraignment in that case is set for this afternoon in Superior Court.

Luster’s attorney, Joel Isaacson, called the charges against his client “bogus.”

“The police keep filing new charges against him, but we haven’t received any substantive information or reports as of yet,” Isaacson said.

Authorities said Luster is a frequent patron of bars in both Isla Vista near the UC Santa Barbara campus and at establishments along State Street in Santa Barbara.

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A source close to Luster’s family said Tuesday he had grown up near Santa Monica, attended Santa Barbara City College and has lived in the oceanfront Mussel Shoals house for 18 years.

Never married, Luster has traveled extensively and lives off his investments, said a spokeswoman, who was hired by the family and who asked to remain anonymous.

Neighbors in Luster’s small beach-side community, situated a few miles north of downtown Ventura, said Luster has a young son. They described Luster as an avid surfer who often took surfing trips to Mexico.

They said Luster seemed to enjoy living at his “surf shack,” a shabby, white stucco, one-story home with rusty patio furniture. They said they often saw him coming in at all hours of the night with women.

One neighbor, who asked to not be identified, reported feeling stunned by the allegations against Luster.

“I was shocked, completely shocked,” the neighbor said. “He seems like a completely above-reproach kind of guy.”