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A California man convicted of drugging and raping three women and originally sentenced to 124 years in prison has been released after serving approximately 20 years, sparking outrage from local officials who have raised public safety concerns.
Andrew Luster, the great-grandson of cosmetics mogul Max Factor, was released from state prison earlier this month and is reportedly residing in Glendora, California, according to KTLA.
Glendora Mayor David Fredendall condemned the release in a statement obtained by Digital, calling it unacceptable that a convicted serial rapist is now reportedly living in the community.
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“The City of Glendora is beyond disappointed. We are outraged,” Fredendall said. “Andrew Luster was convicted of 86 felony counts stemming from the drugging and sexual assault of unconscious women. He was originally sentenced to 124 years in prison. He has now been released from State prison and is reportedly residing in our community. This is unacceptable.”
Max Factor cosmetics heir Andrew Luster is led to a car by a law enforcement officer June 19, 2003 after arriving at the Los Angeles International Airport. Luster, who has been on the run since January 3, was arrested in Mexico and returned to the United States to serve a 124-year jail term for his self-video-taped rape of three women after he drugged them unconscious. (Getty Images)
Luster was convicted in 2003 of 86 felony counts stemming from the drugging and sexual assault of three women at his beachfront home in Ventura County.
Prosecutors said he used the drug GHB to render the women unconscious before sexually assaulting them.
Luster fled to Mexico in January 2003 while free on $1 million bail during his trial. He was convicted in his absence and later captured by celebrity bounty hunter Duane “Dog” Chapman in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
The Max Factor heir was originally sentenced to 124 years in prison, but a California judge set aside the sentence in March 2013 after finding that the trial court failed to adequately explain its reasons for imposing consecutive sentences, as Digital previously reported.
Ventura County Superior Court Judge Kathryne Ann Stoltz rejected Luster’s attempt to overturn his convictions but granted him a new sentencing hearing.
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Max Factor heir Andrew Luster stands during break in trial in Ventura County Superior Court in Ventura, Calif., Monday, Dec 17, 2002. Luster, an heir to the Max Factor cosmetics fortune, is charged with raping three women after rendering them unconscious with the daterape drug gamma hydroxybutyrate, or GHB. (Anacleto Rapping/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
In April 2013, Stoltz resentenced Luster to 50 years in prison, the Associated Press reported.
Prosecutors opposed the reduced sentence, describing Luster’s crimes as “cruel, vicious and callous.”
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His release has renewed criticism of California’s criminal justice system, particularly Proposition 57, a voter-approved measure passed in 2016 that expanded parole consideration for certain offenders.
KTLA reported that Luster was denied parole in 2022 before being granted parole in 2024. Ventura County prosecutors successfully challenged that decision, and Luster was denied parole again in April 2025.
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He was subsequently expected to remain incarcerated until October 2026, when his calculated prison term would end, the outlet reported.
Fredendall argued that the outcome undermines promises made to California voters when Proposition 57 was approved.
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“When California voters approved Proposition 57 in 2016, they were assured by Governor Jerry Brown and his administration that dangerous offenders would remain behind bars,” Fredendall said.
“The State may argue that this was not technically an early release. It can point to sentencing credits, legal calculations, and administrative requirements,” the mayor continued. “However, those technical explanations do not address the larger concern: how an individual originally sentenced to 124 years in prison for heinous crimes is able to walk out of a secured facility after only 20 years.”
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California Assemblywoman Blanca E. Rubio also criticized the release in a statement obtained by Digital.
This handout photo showing Andrew Luster, heir to the Max Factor cosmetics fortune, was released by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department on January 8, 2003 in Ventura, California. (Ventura County Sheriff’s Department/Getty Images)
“I am outraged and deeply disturbed by the decision to grant parole to convicted serial rapist Andrew Luster,” Rubio said. “It is incomprehensible that an individual originally sentenced to 124 years in prison for such horrific crimes could be granted parole after serving approximately 20 years.”
Rubio, who represents California’s 48th Assembly District, said the decision raises questions about the state’s parole system and whether it adequately protects victims and communities.
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“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.”
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Rubio said she is working with local officials and law enforcement to learn more about the circumstances surrounding Luster’s release, including the conditions of his supervision.
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Fredendall also expressed concern about Luster reportedly living near schools, parks, playgrounds and other community spaces.
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“Our Police Department will work with State parole authorities to ensure every applicable law and condition of supervision is followed,” Fredendall said. “We will do everything within our lawful authority to protect our residents. But local governments should not be forced to shoulder the public-safety consequences of decisions made in Sacramento without adequate transparency and accountability.”
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The mayor said the city is demanding additional information from state officials about the release and measures being taken to protect residents.
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“The victims deserve better. The people of Glendora deserve better. California must do better,” Fredendall said.
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Digital has reached out to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation seeking confirmation of Luster’s release date, clarification of the sentencing calculations that led to his release and details about his parole supervision.
