A former Ladera Ranch man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he raped two women and sexually assaulted a third.
Ali Achekzai, 33, who was on Orange County's 10 Most Wanted List until his extradition to the United States from Austria last summer, was arraigned at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana. Orange County Superior Court Judge Craig E. Robison set Achekzai's pre-trial for July 1 and his jury trial for Oct. 10.
Achekzai is accused of raping a woman Laguna Beach and another in San Diego County, and sexually assaulting a third in Costa Mesa, according to a transcript of a January 2010 press conference that followed Achekzai's arrest in Austria. He is being tried for crimes in both counties by the Orange County district attorney's office. Before his extradition, he was accused of raping a woman in Austria.
Achekzai is charged with two felony counts of forcible rape, two felony counts of sexual penetration by foreign object by force, one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm, one felony count of aggravated assault, one felony count of assault with intent to commit a sexual offense, according to court records.