Woman claims heir assaulted her in Las Vegas

Keith Paul

Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2000 | 10:55 a.m.

A woman has come forward claiming an heir to the Max Factor cosmetics fortune sexually assaulted her in Las Vegas, a California prosecutor told the Sun this morning.

Andrew Stuart Luster, 36, a great grandson of the makeup company founder, is accused of slipping three women the date-rape drug GHB, rendering them unconscious, and videotaping his sexual assault of them. He is being held on $10 million bail in a Ventura, Calif., County jail.

"We have received some information from a victim who was in Vegas when she claims to have been assaulted by him," said Rebecca Day, a Ventura County deputy district attorney, noting the woman lives in California. "We do have information that links him to possible assaults in Vegas and are continuing to investigate."

Luster pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 40 sexual assault, drug and weapons charges in a Ventura County court in connection with the drugging and assault of three women in California, Day said.

Luster was arrested July 19 after a Santa Barbara, Calif., woman claimed he slipped her a date-rape drug after she met him at a bar. The woman said she was sexually assaulted last month at Luster's home. Two other women who claim they were sexually assaulted by Luster have since come forward.

Police found about 50 videotapes in Luster's home, detectives said, showing women apparently unconscious and being sexually assaulted. Luster's attorney, Joel Isaacson, said his client denies the charges and claims the sex and videotaping were done with the women's consent.

Among the videotapes are some that show Luster in Las Vegas casinos, leading Metro Police to believe there may be some victims here, said Sgt. Chris Carroll of Metro's sexual assault unit.

But since the allegations were revealed last week, no women in Las Vegas have come forward to Metro investigators saying they had contact with Luster, Carroll said.

Even though GHB -- gamma hydroxybutyrate -- will leave the user with a spotty memory of what occurred, Carroll said, the victims of an assault would still know that something happened to them.

"They are usually missing bits and pieces of what happened, but it's pretty rare that they have no idea what happened," he said.

Luster will have a bail reduction hearing Aug. 17. Day said she will oppose any lowering of the $10 million bail.

"We believe he is a danger to the community," she said. "We believe he is a flight risk because of the amount of money he has access to and his contacts worldwide."

Anyone who has had contact with Luster is asked to call Metro's sexual assault unit at 229-3421 or Community Action Against Rape at 366-1640.