Crime & Safety
Convicted Laguna Niguel Rug Merchant Faces 15 Years To Life
The Laguna Niguel former rug merchant was convicted of sexually assaulting two women at his South Orange County rug galleries in 2010.
LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA — Sentencing was scheduled Friday for a Laguna Niguel, a former rug store owner who was convicted of sexually assaulting at least two women in 2010.
In November, Saeid Boustanabadi Maralan, 65, now of Laguna Niguel, was found guilty of felony counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object with both of his victims, as well as felony counts of forcible rape and attempted forcible oral copulation for one of the victims.
The owner of the south Orange County rug store, known as Maralan at Sirous and Sons Rug Gallery, was operating two rug stores, one in Laguna Beach and one in San Clemente at the time of his original arrest in 2011.
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One of the accusers came to the store at 222 Ocean Ave. April 10, 2011, with her mother to discuss a deal to sell him some rugs, according to Orange County Deputy District Attorney Tara Meath in a previous Patch report.
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Find out what's happening in Laguna Niguel-Dana Pointfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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