Jodie Foster's Father to Hear Jury Verdict Wednesday

Jurors reached a verdict Tuesday in the trial in Van Nuys of actress Jodie Foster's estranged father, Lucius Foster of Sherman Oaks, who is accused of bilking thousands of dollars from nearly two dozen people in a home-building scheme.

The jury's verdict was expected to be read at 10 a.m. Wednesday. During closing arguments Tuesday, Deputy City Attorney Don Cocek told jurors that 89-year-old Foster used war stories, blatant lies and personal charm to steal about $130,000 from prospective home buyers.

Foster, who is acting as his own attorney, insisted that he was offering a creative solution to the affordable housing crisis when he promised to build investors low-cost modular homes out of cargo containers. Foster, a building contractor, is charged with 21 counts of grand theft and nine counts of contracting without a license—all misdemeanors, according to Cocek.

"It's all a big scam," Cocek told the Van Nuys jury, adding that the defendant "was smooth, he was slick, he was a nice guy. ... The scheme is to take money and to never give these people anything back."

Foster is accused of bilking at least 21 often elderly or low-income residents out of $5,000 down payments on 2,000-square-foot modular homes made from 40-foot Chinese shipping containers on single-family lots throughout the San Fernando Valley, the prosecutor said.

"Not one of these homes has ever been built in the city of Los Angeles," Cocek said.

If convicted, Foster could face up to one year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine for each count of grand theft and six months behind bars for each count of unlicensed contracting, Cocek said.

Foster, who is free on his own recognizance, told the jury his plan to build solar-heated three-bedroom, two-bathroom homes for less than $100,000 is "a whole new thing and people in the building department are against it."

The defendant argued that his plan to build houses "designed for modern living'' was not a scam, but a solution to the problem of affordable housing.

"It seems like whenever we try to do something to help society, we get in trouble," Foster said, without explaining who "we'' referred to.

At one point, Foster insisted he would eventually make good on the homes, which he advertised on Craigslist as costing $85,000 each, "unless I go to jail."

Judge Gregory A. Dohi stopped him, telling the panel that "issues of punishment are not your department."

Foster made contact with the alleged victims through his Modernistic
Properties website, referrals from Realtors and postings on Craigslist, according to the city attorney's office.

Alleged victim Gerry Ramirez, of Compton, said previously that Foster had told him of his familial relationship to the two-time Academy Award-winning actress "as validation and to build credibility."

Ramirez said he previously won against Foster in Small Claims Court, "but he doesn't want to pay."

Each alleged victim gave Foster a deposit of $5,000 toward the home purchase and received a contract stating the house would be completed by a certain date, Cocek said. After the completion dates passed, Foster gave various excuses "but no house was ever built," the prosecutor said.

Criminal charges were filed after the city attorney's office discovered during an investigation that several civil judgments had been levied against Foster by prior victims who had been unable to recover their deposit for work that was never performed, officials said.

—City News Service