SAN JOSE — A man convicted in Santa Clara County of scamming investors by purporting to invent a drug-dispensing robot for elderly and disabled people is now being sought as a fugitive after authorities say he skipped his sentencing last month.
Dennis Fountaine (Santa Clara Co. District Attorney’s Office)
Dennis Fountaine, 67, was convicted May 20 of three felony counts of grand theft by fraud and a sentencing enhancement based on his admission that he cheated four of his victims out of more than $350,000. He was facing a prison sentence at a court hearing scheduled for Aug. 5.
But he never showed up, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, and the agency’s investigators are looking for him.
Fountaine was described by prosecutors as someone who bilked millions of dollars from investors across the country who bought into his phony tech inventor persona. In the South Bay case, he claimed to have invented a drug-dispensing robot he called Homer.
Elsewhere in California, and also in Florida, prosecutors say Fountaine was the subject of civil judgments for fraud and breach of contract, all involving loans for him to support fake inventions. He reportedly convinced people of his legitimacy by creating fake company names and corresponding websites, and producing phony articles in which he was featured.
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He also reportedly convinced investors in Florida to support a fake company he claimed could insert their likenesses into an existing visual medium, essentially creating a deepfake of them in place of an actor or singer.
Prosecutors suspect Fountaine of running scams as recently as a month after his conviction.
“Let us know where he is so we can make sure he doesn’t scam anyone else,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement.
Anyone with information about his location can contact DA Investigator Justin Oliveira at 408-792-2420.