The 47-year-old CEO of a Silicon Valley investment firm was arrested in a luxury condo neighborhood of SoMa on Saturday morning, after a woman said she was forcibly raped, assaulted, and had to be hospitalized.
The reports of a San Francisco rape arrest Saturday Morning on the 100 block of Fremont Street are notable, because of who was arrested on the charge. The Chronicle reports that a prominent Silicon Valley investor and CEO was arrested for assault, rape, and other charges. The now-jailed suspect is 47-year-old Andrei Karkar, whose father was the founder of the prominent 1960s and 70s electronics hardware firm Karkar Electronics, and whose mother Natalia Makarova is a Tony-winning Russian ballerina described in 1978 by the New York Times as “one of the world's great ballerinas.”
The 100 block of Fremont Street is a block from Salesforce Tower, and right next to Salesforce Park. The Chronicle reports that “Property records indicate that Karkar owns a condo inside 181 Fremont St.” The British tabloid Daily Mail says Karkar was “detained at his nearly $7 million condo in San Francisco on Saturday,” and adds Saturday was “the same day as his 47th birthday.”
Karkar is the CEO of the family investment firm, ERAS Holdings.
Officers responded to reports of a sexual assault on that block at 9 am Saturday morning.
The victim was taken to the hospital and treated, SFPD identified Karkar as the suspect and arrested him. He was booked into County Jail at 11 pm Saturday night, on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, rape by force, injuring a wireless communication device, first-degree robbery, and false imprisonment.
Karkar is now the CEO of a family investment firm, and according to his bio with that firm, “he leads a team that invests globally in public and private markets focusing on disruptive innovation across industries.” That bio adds that he is “active in various think tanks and in supporting the arts, sciences, environment and philanthropy.”
Karkar’s attorney Eric Safire did not comment to the Chronicle or the Daily Mail, but noted that the SF District Attorney has not yet filed any charges
SF County Jail records show Karkar is still detained there as of Tuesday morning, and his next court appearance is not yet scheduled.
Related: TechCrunch Writer Details Sexual Harassment Experience With SF-Based Venture Capitalist [SFist]
Image: 181 Fremont
