Irvine man returns from Peru to face theft and drug charges

An Irvine man accused of fleeing the country while free on bail has been extradited from Peru to face theft, identity theft and drug trafficking charges in Orange County, NBC Los Angeles reported. Erick Grant Rustad, 44, was returned Oct. 13 after his arrest in Peru on Feb. 13, according to authorities.

The charges involve alleged theft and drug activity dating to 2023, including a police search that investigators said uncovered personal records belonging to at least 14 victims. Rustad faces a maximum combined sentence of 29 years and six months if convicted on all charges, according to NBC Los Angeles.

Rustad left the country in April 2025, traveling first to Mexico and then to Peru, where his mother holds citizenship, authorities said, according to NBC Los Angeles. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office said he had been freed on $100,000 bail on suspicion of felony fentanyl possession and had two earlier drug possession convictions.

An Orange County judge issued a $150,000 bench warrant at the end of April 2025. A federal judge also approved an arrest warrant on an allegation of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, according to the report.

Irvine police said a search of Rustad’s home and car in May 2023 turned up methamphetamine and identification materials, including credit cards and Social Security numbers, belonging to at least 14 victims. Police also said surveillance footage showed him taking a Maserati key in July 2023; prosecutors alleged he later attempted to steal bicycles while on bail.

Prosecutors accused Rustad of depositing a stolen check that had been altered for $2,795 in March 2024. They also said a search conducted under a warrant recovered digital scales, phones, methamphetamine and fentanyl, NBC Los Angeles reported.

Authorities said Rustad was arrested in June 2024 after a bag was delivered to his home containing two cell phones, crushed Xanax pills, fentanyl and methamphetamine. Other allegations include the theft of a package from a doorstep and sunglasses from Nordstrom, according to the report.

Peruvian authorities cooperated in the extradition, NBC Los Angeles reported. The effort involved the FBI, U.S. Department of Justice, Irvine Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Department and Tustin Police Department.