Jul
Jury Selection in Hendrix Montecastro Mortgage Fraud Trial Begins
A man and his mother who are on trial in an alleged $142 million mortgage fraud and securities fraud prosecution are taking turns with the prosecution, conducting their own voir dire as part of their self-representation, having fired all of their attorneys.
Hendrix Montecastro, 39, of Murrieta, and his mother, Helen Moreno Pedrino, are charged with grand theft, securities fraud, corporate identity theft and elder abuse (elder financial abuse). They are among seven people who were arrested in 2009 for scamming small-time investors and being responsible for the foreclosure of more than 100 homes in Riverside County. The ringleader James Duncan and the other five defendants have already pleaded guilty for their roles.
Read the original article in the Press Enterprise.
