South OC Rug Merchant Charged With Sex Crimes Against 4 Starts Trial

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — A Laguna Beach rug merchant sexually assaulted four women he was doing business with in his store more than a decade ago, a prosecutor told jurors Monday, but the defendant's attorney insisted the allegations are untrue.

When the Orange County District Attorney's Office filed charges against Saeid Maralan, 65, of Laguna Niguel, in September 2011, he was charged with sexual assaults against eight women, and a month later three more accusers came forward. Now the case is down to four alleged victims.

At the time of the alleged assaults, Maralan was operating two rug stores -- one in San Clemente and the other in Laguna Beach, Deputy District Attorney Tara Meath said in her opening statement.

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, Meath said.

When the defendant greeted the women, he kissed both on the cheek and made "sexual innuendo" comments to the daughter, Meath said.

"She was in shock. She didn't know how to handle the situation," Meath said.

Later, Maralan took the daughter to a back room and "came on to her" immediately and pulled her pants down, Meath said.

As the woman struggled to push him away, he persisted and pulled her pants down again and sexually assaulted her, Meath said. At one point he touched himself with his pants down until he ejaculated, she alleged.

The two returned to the accuser's mother, completed the deal and left, Meath said.

The daughter subsequently told an aunt what had happed, and the alleged sexual assault was reported to police, Meath said.

The woman underwent a sexual assault exam and gave her pants to police for testing, Meath said.

Another accuser contends she was assaulted in March 2010, but didn't come forward to police until she read about Maralan being charged in September 2011, Meath said.

Maralan is accused of steering that alleged victim to a back room area as well, Meath said.

"She wasn't as successful pushing him off," Meath said.

"She didn't report right away because she was embarrassed and shocked," according to the prosecutor.

The woman continued to do business with Maralan afterward, but she "thought it was an isolated incident" and she could "control" any future dealings with him, Meath said.

Another woman who was selling Persian bags wanted to put them on display at the defendant's store, Meath said. During a visit at the store, he allegedly took her to a back room and groped her chest, Meath alleged.

Maralan also allegedly invited a hairstylist to the store to cut his hair and steered her to the back room, grabbing her and saying he loved her and "needs attention," Meath said.

Maralan was convicted of sexual battery in April of 2000 in Los Angeles County, Meath said.

The defendant's attorney, John Barnett, noted that the accuser who came to the store with her mother alleged she was sexually assaulted in a small space next to a water heater during the business day with customers and co- workers around.

"She says she was attacked in the middle of the day with her mother 30 feet away with workers coming and going," Barnett said.

He said they arrived for an appointment with Maralan at 3:35 p.m., were in the closet at 4:05 p.m. and came back out to complete the deal from 4:10 p.m. to about 5:07 p.m., Barnett said. They also had some wine with the rug store merchant, he added.

The other accuser said she was "raped" and "put on top of rugs," Barnett said.

"She says there was a male employee who saw her screaming and yelling and running off," Barnett said. "This is in the middle of the day while customers are coming in and out and employees coming in the side entrance."

Barnett told jurors the rug that the accuser said she was attacked on will be brought into the courtroom.

The woman continued doing business with Maralan and then submitted an invoice for $19,680 at one point that began with "Dear Saeid," Barnett said.

When she didn't get the money she came forward after "reading about (the case) in the newspaper," Barnett said.

The other accuser was "desperate for money" to pay for health issues with her mother, Barnett said.

"These events did not happen, could not happen and Mr. Maralan is innocent of these accusations," Barnett said.