On-line, the deeds and ingenuity of Dennis Fountaine had no bounds.
One web site listed the 67-year-old as a “technologist and entrepreneurial inventor” who has been “conceptualizing, researching, creating and licensing new merchandise and applied sciences for 20+ years.”
One other webpage described the Los Gatos-based Fountaine as an innovation prodigy, having created a scorching canine cooker manufactured from two nails, a wooden block and a stripped electrical wire on the age of 6. He shaped his first enterprise, the location mentioned, promoting Crimson Hots to his Lengthy Island neighbors.
Many of those claims are faux, contends the Santa Clara County District Legal professional’s Workplace, which refers to Fountaine as a “phony tech investor” and a “serial fraudster.”
There may be, nonetheless, one title Fountaine not too long ago earned with out debate: fugitive.
The district lawyer introduced Wednesday that Fountaine fled earlier than his scheduled sentencing final month for fraud and is at giant.
“The person pretended he was an inventor, however he gained’t have the ability to faux for lengthy that he’s not a needed fugitive,” Dist. Atty. Jeff Rosen mentioned in an announcement.
Fountaine pleaded responsible on Might 20 to 3 felony counts of grand theft by fraud. He additionally admitted to the aggravated white-collar enhancement for defrauding 4 victims of greater than $350,000 mixed.
His sentencing was set for Aug. 5, however he failed to look in Santa Clara County Superior Courtroom.
The district lawyer’s workplace mentioned the plea deal referred to as for Fountaine to spend two years in county jail and 10 years on formal probation.
Fountaine ran a wide range of scams, in keeping with the district lawyer’s workplace.
One case included a robotic named “Homer” that was supposed to assist distribute remedy to the aged and disabled, in keeping with the district lawyer. Fountaine by no means invented such a robotic.
In Florida, he based an web growth firm named Display screen Check, in keeping with the district lawyer.
The corporate claimed it may insert people into any kind of visible medium. This may enable a person to behave or sing in a visible clip as the unique artist, actor or singer would.
Fountaine referred to as his invention “Face Substitute Know-how.” However he by no means produced it.
The district lawyer accused Fountaine of bilking traders out of hundreds of thousands via his schemes.
A part of his success got here from a community of pretend firms and web sites that falsely credited Fountaine with quite a few successes, awards and innovations.
One web site the district lawyer’s workplace believes is phony listed Fountaine as a “High 100 inventor.”
“I can not say that any of the background info contained on these websites are correct as they seem like created by the defendant,” mentioned Oanh Tran, deputy district lawyer and member of the county’s Main Fraud Unit, which focuses on white-collar crime with losses over $100,000.
This was a few of the similar biographical info lenders would uncover when researching whether or not to put money into Fountaine.
There have been additionally web sites with faux interviews that Fountaine supposedly gave.
The District Legal professional’s Workplace is asking for anybody with info on his whereabouts to please contact investigator Justin DeOliveira at (408) 792-2420.