Man Accused of Defrauding Elderly Hires New Lawyer

The trial for a man accused of taking advantage of elderly people in Redwood City was delayed Thursday, when the man decided to hire new defense counsel.

Michael Cardoza and Jyoti Rekhi have represented James Keeton, 63, until now. Keeton is accused of taking more than $270,000 from elderly people in the form of loans that he has not repaid.

Keeton befriended these people between 2008 and 2010 through the San Mateo Horseman’s Association and St. Pius’ Paris in Redwood City, California. He told them he needed money for a variety of reasons. One victim said he told them that his wife had miscarried twins and that he was going to lose their home due to foreclosure.  

He assured people that he would be able to repay the loans with money from an inheritance that was entangled in litigation on the east coast. The loans ranged from $3,000 to $23,650, according to District Attorney’s records. His victims were 51-88 years of age.  

Keeton is charged with 11 counts of fraud with intent to cheat another and eight counts of committing crimes against the elderly.He was arraigned on March 18, 2013 and is in custody on $250,000 bail.   

His new court date is July 23. On that day, Keeton's new attorney is expected to make an appearance and arrange a preliminary hearing date.

This is the second time this month that the trial has been delayed. On July 1, his defense attorney failed to appear in court. The San Mateo County District Attorney records of the trial show that one of the defense attorney's had “mis-calendared” the hearing.