He worked for years as a professional photographer, but the Federal Bureau of Investigation says he's a serial sexual predator suspected of taking advantage of models.
Robert Arnold Koester, 52, photographed models — sometimes in the nude — for at least 25 years. Throughout that time he allegedly assaulted many of his subjects, including some younger than 18, and now the FBI is seeking information about his possible victims.
Koester, a U.S. citizen, also went by the names Bert Kay, Rhake Winter and Qitooly, the FBI said.
He allegedly began sexually assaulting his victims on the West Coast in 1994 and continued to do so through Nov. 13, 2018, when he was arrested in Southern California by Carlsbad police.
Koester is facing 23 felony charges filed by state prosecutors in San Diego County related to that arrest, including child sexual abuse and production of child pornography.
State prosecutors filed 23 felony charges, including child sexual abuse and production of child pornography, against Koester in San Diego County, and he faces an additional two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in California, the FBI said.
Authorities say Koester owns a farm in Yamhill County, Oregon, and on Jan. 30, a Yamhill County Grand Jury charged Koester with 32 felony counts involving four separate victims, one of whom was a minor.
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The charges also include multiple counts for first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, first-degree unlawful sexual penetration, and causing another person to ingest a controlled substance, the FBI said.
"If you have information about this ongoing investigation or believe you or someone you know may have been victimized by Robert Arnold Koester, the FBI requests that you complete this secure, confidential online questionnaire," officials said in a statement.
