Andrew Luster Released on Parole After Serving Roughly Two Decades

Andrew Luster, the great-grandson of cosmetics founder Max Factor, was placed under parole supervision on October 11 after serving about twenty years of a sentence imposed for 86 felony counts of drugging and raping three women. State officials say the release complies with California’s sentencing-credit system, while local leaders decry the outcome as a failure of public-safety safeguards.

Max Factor heir who's serial rapist is released back into the community after serving less than half of his 50 year prison sentence

Luster was arrested on July 19, 2000 and charged with 21 counts of sexual assault. He fled to Mexico in 2003; bounty hunter Duane “Dog” Chapman captured him, leading to a 124-year sentence that was vacated in 2013 and reset at 50 years. Proposition 57, approved in 2016, expanded parole eligibility for non-violent offenses. A 2025 amendment re-classified drug-facilitated rapes as violent felonies, but it did not affect Luster’s sentence.

Max Factor heir who's serial rapist is released back into the community after serving less than half of his 50 year prison sentence

• 86 felony counts (drugging, rape, sodomy, oral copulation)

The Independent

• Original 124-year sentence, reduced to 50 years in 2013

NBC Los Angeles

• Approximately 20 years served before parole

NBC Los Angeles

• 977 days of pre-sentence credit and additional work-time credits applied

NBC Los Angeles

Mayor David Fredendall of Glendora said the city is “beyond disappointed” and “outraged” by Luster’s presence in the community, pledging police coordination with parole authorities.

NBC Los Angeles

Assemblywoman Blanca E. Rubio, who authored Senate Bill 268 (2024) re-classifying certain drug-facilitated rapes, called the decision “deeply disturbed” and questioned whether California’s parole system protects victims.

The Independent

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) asserted that Luster’s release follows statutory provisions allowing determinate-sentence inmates to reduce time through earned credits.

Max Factor heir who's serial rapist is released back into the community after serving less than half of his 50 year prison sentence

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said his office fought to keep the original term, arguing that Luster’s crimes “require the strongest of sentences.”

Max Factor heir who's serial rapist is released back into the community after serving less than half of his 50 year prison sentence

Ann Marie Schubert, former Sacramento County District Attorney and CEO of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, labeled the release “an absolute travesty of justice,” criticizing the law that still treats Luster’s offenses as non-violent.

NBC Los Angeles

Sources differ on the exact length of time Luster served—some cite “approximately 20 years,” others “23 years.” The precise location of his residence in Glendora remains unverified. Critics argue that applying Proposition 57 to a case involving sexual violence contradicts voter expectations, even though CDCR says the release complies with law.

The Independent

• “The City of Glendora is beyond disappointed. We are outraged,” — Mayor David Fredendall

NBC Los Angeles

• “I am outraged and deeply disturbed by the decision to grant parole to convicted serial rapist Andrew Luster,” — Assemblywoman Blanca E. Rubio

New York Post

Assemblywoman Rubio said she will continue working with law-enforcement agencies and legislative colleagues to monitor parole conditions and pursue reforms aimed at protecting victims. Luster’s parole board supervision will be reviewed periodically under existing state protocols.

The Independent