Laguna Beach rug merchant gets 34 to life for sexual assaults in store

More than two years after he was convicted, and 14 years since he was charged, a Laguna Beach rug merchant was sentenced to 34 years to life in prison on Monday for sexually assaulting two women in his store.

Saeid Maralan, 67, of Laguna Niguel, was convicted Nov. 6, 2023, of two counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object and single counts each of rape and attempted oral copulation, all felonies. Jurors also found true sentencing enhancements for multiple victims.

During the trial, two felony counts of indecent exposure with a prior conviction were dismissed on Oct. 30 because the accusers were out of the country and unavailable to testify.

When the Orange County district attorney’s office filed charges against Maralan in September 2011, he was charged with sexual assaults against eight women, and a month later three more accusers came forward. In the ensuing years, the case was whittled down to two victims he was charged with attacking, and two others whose allegations were used in the trial to provide further evidence of a pattern of conduct.

Maralan’s attorney, Chris McGibbons of the Orange County public defender’s office, argued for six years in prison. Deputy Dist. Atty. Tara Meath argued for 39 years to life in prison.

Maralan received credit for 1,033 days behind bars.

Before the sentencing, Maralan sparred with Orange County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Menninger as he tried to make a statement arguing she should be disqualified as the sentencing judge.

“That’s not going to happen,” Menninger told the defendant as she explained the rules regarding his right to make a statement at sentencing. She advised him to file a motion if he wished.

“You’re not fit to be sentencing judge,” Maralan said.

Maralan claimed Meath called the defendant’s trial attorney, John Barnett, an expletive during the trial.

“I never called [Barnett) an [(expletive],” Meath said in court. “A juror did that.”

Menninger said Maralan would not be allowed to argue the issue anyway.

“You don’t get a platform to say whatever you want” at sentencing, Menninger told Maralan.

Maralan also argued he should get more custody credits for being in home confinement in the years leading up to trial, but after checking the records he was granted an additional day.

One of the accusers came to the store at 222 Ocean Ave. on April 10, 2011, with her mother to discuss a deal to sell him some rugs, Meath said at trial.

When the defendant greeted the women, he kissed both on the cheek and made “sexual innuendo” comments to the daughter, Meath said.

“She was in shock. She didn’t know how to handle the situation,’” Meath said.

Later, Maralan took the daughter to a back room and “came on to her” immediately and pulled her pants down, Meath said.

As the woman struggled to push him away, he persisted and pulled her pants down again and sexually assaulted her, Meath said..

The two returned to the accuser’s mother, completed the deal and the women left, Meath said.

The daughter subsequently told an aunt what had happened, and the sexual assault was reported to police, Meath said.
The woman underwent a sexual assault exam and gave her pants to police for testing, Meath said.

Another accuser contended she was assaulted in March 2010, but didn’t come forward to police until she read about Maralan being charged in September 2011, Meath said.

Maralan steered that victim to a back room area as well, Meath said.

“She wasn’t as successful pushing him off,” Meath said.”She didn’t report right away because she was embarrassed and shocked.”

The woman continued to do business with Maralan afterward, but she “thought it was an isolated incident” and she could “control” any future dealings with him, Meath said.

Another woman who was selling Persian bags wanted to put them on display at the defendant’s store, Meath said. During a visit at the store, he took her to a back room and groped her chest, Meath alleged.

Maralan also invited a hairstylist to the store to cut his hair and steered her to the back room, grabbing her and saying he loved her and “needs attention,” Meath said.

Maralan was convicted of sexual battery in April of 2000 in Los Angeles County, Meath said.