Max Factor heir and serial rapist freed after 20 years of 124-year sentence
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The heir to a cosmetics empire who was convicted of drugging and raping three women decades ago and originally sentenced to 124 years in prison has been released after serving just a fraction of his sentence.
Local California officials are angrily speaking out after learning that Andrew Luster is living in their community.
“The City of Glendora is beyond disappointed. We are outraged,” Mayor David Fredendall said in a statement condemning Luster’s release.
“He was originally sentenced to 124 years in prison,” the mayor added. “He has now been released from State prison and is reportedly residing in our community. This is unacceptable.”
What was Luster convicted of?
Luster, the great-grandson of cosmetics mogul Max Factor, was first arrested in July 2000 after a local college student accused him of raping her at his home, according to court records.
Investigators executed a search warrant at Luster’s home and found a video showing him drugging and raping the victim. They also found tapes showing Luster sexually assaulting two other women.
His trial began in late 2002, but two weeks into the proceedings, a judge lifted the conditions of his parole so he could visit his lawyer in Los Angeles over the holidays.
On the run
Luster fled to Mexico in January 2003 while free on $1-million bail. He managed to evade authorities for months before being tracked down and apprehended by Duane Chapman, a.k.a. Dog the Bounty Hunter, in Puerto Vallarta in June of that year, the New York Times reported.
His conviction and subsequent sentence changes
He was convicted in absentia of 86 felony counts related to drugging and raping the three women at his Ventura County home. He was sentenced to 124 years behind bars.
Luster lost his right to appeal the verdict due to his fugitive status, but he later filed a petition for habeas corpus, which was granted in 2012.
Despite prosecutors’ opposition, a judge set aside the 124-year sentence in March 2013 after finding that the trial court had failed to adequately explain its reasons for imposing consecutive sentences. Luster was resentenced to 50 years, the Los Angeles Times reported.
His sentence was later reduced further following the passage of Proposition 57, a ballot measure that made individuals convicted of non-violent crimes and have no criminal records eligible for early release.
The move sparked renewed criticism of California’s criminal justice system, with much of the debate centred on what qualifies as a violent crime.
“A man convicted of repeatedly drugging and raping unconscious women was sentenced to serve 124 years in prison, has now been released after serving only 20 years in prison, under a sentencing framework that Proposition 57 helped create,” Fredendall said.
Parole denied … yet here we are
Luster was denied parole in 2022, but granted it in 2024. Ventura County prosecutors successfully challenged that decision, and the convict was denied parole again in April 2025, KTLA reported.
That meant he was expected to serve his full sentence until October 2026. That release date has now arrived.
His three accusers have attended every court hearing to oppose his release.
“By drugging his victims into a coma-like state, Andrew Luster played Russian roulette with the lives of his victims so he could abuse their comatose bodies,” Ventura County Senior Deputy District Attorney Anthony Wold said in a statement after a 2025 parole hearing.
“Even now, he attempts to rewrite the history of his heinous crimes to falsely mitigate his culpability to gain early release,” Wold continued. “He remains a highly dangerous sexual predator.
“We continue to maintain he should serve his full sentence. He’s earned it,” Wold added.
California Assemblywoman Blanca E. Rubio told Fox News she was “outraged and deeply disturbed” by the decision to grant Luster parole.
She told the outlet she was working with local officials and law enforcement to learn more about the circumstances surrounding his release, including the conditions of his supervision.
“Our justice system is supposed to protect the innocent, hold violent criminals accountable, and provide victims with a sense of justice,” she said. “Decisions like this undermine public confidence in that system and send a devastating message to survivors of sexual assault.”