Andrew Luster, Max Factor heir and serial rapist, released from prison
Andrew Luster, the great-grandson of makeup mogul Max Factor, was released from prison on October 11 after serving more than two decades behind bars. The former fugitive had initially received consecutive sentences totaling 124 years for the drugging and rape of three women between 1996 and 2000 at his home in Mussel Shoals, California. His sentence was later reduced to 50 years, and he qualified for early release credits under California's Proposition 57 criminal justice reforms. Prosecutors opposed his early release in both 2024 and 2025, but the legal framework allowed his term to end this month.
Andrew Luster, the great-grandson of makeup mogul Max Factor, was released from prison on October 11 after serving more than two decades behind bars. The former fugitive had initially received consecutive sentences totaling 124 years for the drugging and rape of three women between 1996 and 2000 at his home in Mussel Shoals, California. His sentence was later reduced to 50 years, and he qualified for early release credits under California's Proposition 57 criminal justice reforms. Prosecutors opposed his early release in both 2024 and 2025, but the legal framework allowed his term to end this month.
Luster's path to incarceration began in 2003 when he fled the United States in the middle of a California rape trial. He vanished during a recess in his trial and was subsequently convicted in absentia on 86 counts. Duane "Dog" Chapman, along with his son Leland, associate Tim Chapman, and a camera crew, traveled to Mexico after receiving a tip regarding Luster's whereabouts. On June 18, 2003, they identified Luster in Puerto Vallarta and apprehended him on a street. Chapman stated that he recognized Luster by a watch seen in a previous televised interview and confirmed his identity with a photo provided by tipsters.
After tackling Luster and placing him in an SUV, the group was intercepted by Mexican authorities who arrested everyone present. Luster claimed he had been kidnapped, prompting Chapman to provide a detailed file on the case to the lead investigator. A Mexican judge later dismissed the case against the bounty hunters. Chapman stated that he never received the bounty for the capture and lost hundreds of thousands of dollars on the operation and subsequent legal costs. Mexican law did not permit bounty hunters to apprehend fugitives.
One victim, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, told Fox News Digital that she is struggling to comprehend Luster's release. She dated Luster for five or six months without realizing she had been drugged and raped during their first meeting. Detectives discovered the crime years later after recovering more than 100 video tapes from his home. The victim described the tapes as "mortifying" and "brutal," noting that Luster narrated his actions to the camera while his victims were unconscious. She expressed concern for her own safety and that of other victims and investigators after a notebook containing a "payback list" with their names was recovered from his Mexican hotel room.
Chapman, who rose to fame shortly after the capture with the A&E series "Dog the Bounty Hunter," is launching a new YouTube series this Saturday titled "Dog the Bounty Hunter...Everyone Deserves a Second Chance." The program plans to help bail out inmates with good behavior records, excluding those facing serious felonies or sex abuse charges. Chapman said he has five to seven years of bounty hunting left in him.