UPDATE: Maralan Pleads Not Guilty to Sexual Assault Charges

UPDATE, SEPT. 16, 6:30 P.M.: Maralan pleaded not guilty to all counts in a Santa Ana courtroom earlier today. A pre-trial hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 20.

UPDATE, SEPT. 16: Saeid Boustanabadi Maralan, a registered sex offender, was charged today with sexually assaulting an additional four women inside Sirous and Sons, the Laguna Beach rug store he managed.

The women came forward after media coverage of four other alleged sexual assaults. In the new cases, Maralan, a 53-year-old Laguna Niguel resident, was charged with two felony counts of sexual battery by restraint; one felony count each of forcible rape, sexual penetration by a foreign object by force, attempted forcible oral copulation and false imprisonment; and one misdemeanor count of indecent exposure with a sentencing enhancement allegation for committing a sexual offense against more than one victim.

If convicted, he faces a maximum 50 years to life in state prison. Maralan is being held on $2 million bail and is expected to be arraigned today in Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana.

As in the previous four cases, none of the victims know each other, authorities said.

Here are the graphic details released by the DA's office regarding each new alleged victim. The DA does not publicly release the names of alleged sexual assault victims.

Jane Doe #5
Jane Doe #5, 51, lived in the upstairs unit above Sirous and Sons. Between May and July 2007, Maralan is accused of sexually assaulting Jane Doe #5 on several occasions. When she entered the rug store to talk to Maralan about her electricity bill, Maralan is accused of asking for a hug. He then allegedly wrapped his left arm around her, grabbing her breast with his right hand and pulling her against him. Jane Doe #5 was able to free herself immediately.

A few weeks later, she entered the rug store to speak with Maralan. While they were talking, Maralan is accused of grabbing hold of her and pushing her against the wall near his desk. Maralan allegedly tried to repeatedly kiss her on the mouth. Jane Doe #5 thrashed her head from side to side, got away and left the rug store very upset.

In early July 2007, Maralan is accused of contacting Jane Doe #5 about some mail she had received. When she entered the rug store to retrieve her mail, the defendant is accused of asking her to come around the desk, where he gestured to his crotch, saying, "Look what I have for you." Maralan is accused of exposing his erect penis to the victim.

Jane Doe #6
In April 2010, 48-year-old Jane Doe #6 visited Maralan's store to sell him some of her rugs. Maralan is accused of leading Jane Doe #6 to the back of the store and into the storage area. He is accused of turning off the lights, grabbing her and lifting her onto a pile of rugs. He allegedly stripped off her clothes as she resisted and told him not to. He is accused of forcibly digitally penetrating her as she tried to fight him off. Once she got down from the rugs and tried to escape, Maralan is accused of grabbing her, turning her back to him and forcibly raping her as she screamed. He then allegedly tried to orally copulate her when she refused to orally copulate him. She escaped the storage room as she pulled her pants up, and fled the store.

Jane Doe #7
In December 2009, 35-year-old Jane Doe #7 met Maralan at the rug store for a business appointment to display her Persian bags. Once seated at his desk, Maralan is accused of asking her to look at his computer screen under the pretense of showing her a picture of a female he claimed to know. He is accused of instead showing her a pornographic website featuring a naked woman. He then allegedly led the victim to the back of the store and into the storage area. As she leaned down to rummage through the Persian bags, Maralan is accused of coming up behind her and grabbing her breasts. When she resisted and tried to leave, Maralan is accused of grabbing her and kissing the top of her head. She freed herself and left the store.

Jane Doe #8
In June 2009, 44-year-old Jane Doe #8 had an appointment at Maralan's store to cut his hair. Upon arrival, Maralan reportedly locked the front door. After she cut his hair in the rug store bathroom, Maralan is accused of taking his shirt off in front of her and grabbing her wrist. He is accused of telling her he loved her, was lonely, and needed a hug and a kiss. When she refused and asked for her money so she could leave, Maralan is accused of offering her jewelry and kneeling before her crying, saying he needed love. She told Maralan her co-workers knew where she was and would call police if she didn't return. She collected her fee and left.

Anyone with additional information or who believes they have been a victim is encouraged to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Lou Gutierrez at 714-347-8794, or LBPD Detectives Natalie Leal or Julia Bowman at 949-497-0377.

UPDATE, SEPT.15: Detectives this morning executed a search warrant on Sirous and Sons Rug Gallery in Laguna Beach in an attempt to gather more evidence in the case against Maralan. Also, his bail was increased to $2 million.

UPDATE: SEPT. 14, 3:44 P.M.: Laguna Beach police detectives rearrested Saeid Boustanabadi Maralan at 2:15 p.m. Wednesday at his Sirous and Sons Rug Gallery in San Clemente.

Maralan was previously charged with several sexual assaults after being arrested Sept. 1. All of the alleged attacks took place at the Laguna Beach branch of Sirous and Sons, at 222 Ocean Ave., police said.

Over the weekend, Maralan, who lives in Laguna Niguel, posted bail of $1 million and was released from the Orange County Jail.

Media coverage from the original arrest led to several new alleged victims coming forward and contacting police. Detectives investigated those accusations and presented the cases to the district attorney.

With this new arrest, Maralan is being charged with rape, penetration with a foreign object, and assault with the intent to commit oral copulation. 

ORIGINAL POST: Accused rapist Saeid Boustanabadi Maralan, 53, manager of the on Ocean Avenue in downtown Laguna Beach, has been released after posting a $1-million bond, officials said.

Meanwhile, the Laguna Beach Police Department said four additional women have come forward with claims against Maralan in the wake of his Sept. 1 arrest and the resulting publicity. (Two other women also reported incidents to police after Maralan's arrest, but those were not considered criminal offenses.)

Maralan, a registered sex offender since 2002, was initially charged with sexually assaulting three women, including forcibly raping one, and showing pornography to a minor. He lives in Laguna Niguel.

The original bail amount of $500,000 was later increased to $1 million because of the nature of Maralan's alleged crimes.

The district attorney's office is worried he might try to flee the U.S. "Anyone with that kind of resources and ties to another country is considered a flight risk," D.A. chief of staff Susan Kang Schroeder told Patch. Maralan is from Iran, she said.

Graphic Allegations

The alleged attacks all took place inside his business, according to a press release from the DA's office.

The charges include one felony count each of forcible rape, attempted forcible rape, sexual penetration with a foreign object by force, and distributing pornography to a minor, plus a sentencing enhancement for committing a sexual offense against more than one victim. If convicted, Maralan faces up to 34 years to life in state prison.

Here are the graphic details released by the DA's office regarding each alleged victim. The DA does not publicly release the names of alleged sexual assault victims.

Jane Doe No. 1
On April 10, 2010, 40-year-old Jane Doe No. 1 went to the rug store as a customer with her mother. While the victim’s mother filled out paperwork at the front of the store, Maralan is accused of leading Jane Doe to the back of the store and into a small closet. He is accused of grabbing and kissing the victim and then pulling his pants down to his ankles. As Jane Doe turned to get away and had her back to the defendant, Maralan is accused of pulling down the victim’s pants, grabbing her buttocks, and pushing his penis against her buttocks in an attempt to rape her. She was able to push the defendant away from behind her, and Maralan is accused of then digitally penetrating the victim. He is accused of turning her to face him, pulling down her shirt to expose a breast, and licking and sucking the victim’s breast and nipple. The victim was able to pull away and Maralan is accused of masturbating toward her and ejaculating. She reported the alleged incident to Laguna Beach police that day.

Jane Doe No. 2
Jane Doe No. 2, age 23, was an employee in Maralan’s store. On May 15, 2010, Maralan is accused of asking the victim to follow him into a storage room and grabbing her wrist to pull her toward him. She attempted to pull away but was unable to break the defendant’s grasp. Maralan is accused of undoing his pants and removing his erect penis, turning the victim away from him, pushing her against a stack of rugs, and pushing her head down with his hand. While standing behind the victim, Maralan is accused of forcibly raping the victim and then removing his penis to ejaculate in a napkin. Jane Doe told a friend about the alleged rape that night and reported it to police the following day.

Jane Doe No. 3
Accuser No. 3 was a 17-year-old intern at Maralan’s store. On March 3, the defendant allegedly asked the victim several inappropriate sexual questions about the number of men she’d had sex with, if she had ever been sexual with a woman, and if she liked being kissed. Maralan is accused of instructing her to look at his computer screen under the pretense of showing her a picture of a female who looked like the victim. He is accused of instead showing her a pornographic website featuring naked men and women. Jane Doe immediately walked out of the store, locked herself in her truck, and drove home to report the incident to her mother and LBPD.

Jane Doe No. 4
On Aug. 13, the 25-year-old woman went to Maralan’s store for a job interview. Maralan is accused of asking the victim for a hug and a kiss on the cheek and closed mouth, and pressing his erect penis against her through his clothes when she complied. Maralan is accused of repeatedly asking her to have sex with him and offering her $500 for sex. He is accused of rubbing his penis over his clothing as he asked for sex, but the victim continually refused. He is accused of giving the victim another hug, pulling her against his body and erect penis, and refusing to let go as she tried to pull away. After letting go, Maralan is accused of attempting to reach between the victim’s legs. She reported the alleged sexual assault to LBPD that day.

Delays in the Case

The initial investigation was hampered because the victims refused to cooperate beyond their initial police reports. At one point, the first two Jane Does asked Laguna Beach police to drop the investigation entirely. Detectives tried to get them to change their minds, but failed. It wasn't until the March 3 accusation by the 17-year-old intern that the case against Maralan began moving forward again.

None of the four victims know each other, authorities said.

Anyone with additional information or who believes they have been a victim is encouraged to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Lou Gutierrez at 714-347-8794 or LBPD Detectives Natalie Leal or Julia Bowman at 949-497-0377.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story misspelled Maralan's first name. The correct spelling is Saeid. Also, a previous headline on this story referred to Maralan as the owner of the rug store. He is the manager.