Fugitive Max Factor Heir Guilty of Rape

An heir to the Max Factor cosmetics fortune was being hunted by the FBI yesterday after being convicted in his absence of raping three women. Andrew Luster, 39, the great-grandson of Max Factor, was believed to have fled the country, forfeiting $1m (£620,000) in bail.

He was accused of raping the women after drugging them with gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), also known as the "date-rape" drug, and liquid ecstasy at his home in Mussel Shoals, southern California. Some of the evidence against him came from videos he had made of himself having sex with the women. He was convicted on 86 of the 87 charges brought. He faces a life sentence if he is found.

The millionaire was arrested in 2000 after a student from nearby Santa Barbara told police that he had raped her. When they searched Luster's home they found a hidden video camera and a series of videos of him having sex with unconscious women. Luster claimed that the women had consented to sex and were only pretending to be asleep.

Originally, bail for Luster was set at $10m, but an appeal court reduced the amount and the trial judge lifted house-arrest restrictions on him, allowing him to move around during the day, supposedly so that he could prepare for the trial.

Luster disappeared on January 3, during a holiday break in the proceedings. Yesterday the judge, Ken Riley, admitted: "I made a mistake".

Luster's car was found in Santa Monica, southern California, earlier this week, but there have been no traces of him. Mr Riley told jurors that Luster appeared to have made extensive plans for his flight and had clearly been aided by others. There was speculation that he might be in Mexico.

His lawyer, Roger Diamond, yesterday urged him to return, saying that there were good grounds for an appeal. "It was basically impossible to try this case without the client," Mr Diamond said. The jury were told that they were entitled to consider Luster's flight when deciding on a verdict.