Jodie Foster's Father Accused of $130,000 Housing Scam

Lucius Foster, the estranged father of award-winning star Jodie Foster, hobbled to court on a zimmer frame to defend himself against accusations of committing a $130,000 housing fraud. If convicted, Lucius might spend 20 years in jail.

Lucius Foster hobbling toward court on a zimmer frame.

In his opening statement, Deputy City Attorney Don Cocek told the LA courtroom: 'Mr Foster is a liar and a cheat.

'He has had a scam going for years to steal money from people. A lot of people fell for it. He sounded so convincing.'





According to Mr Cocek, the 89-year-old building contractor conned a $5,000 downpayment out of his clients after he claimed he would build them low-cost homes for $85,000.

Mr Cocek said the actress's father planned to make the three-bedroom, 2,000 sq ft homes out of metal cargo containers from China.

Foster found buyers on Craigslist, where he placed an ad, before arranging to meet them at a Starbucks coffee shop in the San Fernando Valley, Mr Cocek said.

There, it is alleged, he would gain their trust by telling them wartime stories and promising their dream homes would be completed within a year.

Thomas Marks, one of Foster’s alleged victims, said: 'He told me these great World War II stories.

'He told me he liked oatmeal cookies. So I made him oatmeal cookies. We had a good rapport so I didn’t think he would do this.'

Another of foster’s alleged victims, Jose Luis Montoya, testified: 'He explained how much money I could save.

'I can have my house in the city I choose. I thought it was cheap compared to what the market was at the time. I trusted him.'

Foster was also accused of name-dropping his two-time Oscar-winning daughter to give his alleged scam credibility.