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Man who claimed to be Vicente Fox’s brother pleads not guilty to swindles

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A suspected financial swindler who allegedly boasted he was the brother of former Mexican President Vicente Fox pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of stealing more than $600,000 through bogus investment plans, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

Alfredo Trujillo Fox, 66, was arrested Saturday on a felony complaint and was being held in lieu of $1-million bail, said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office. He was arraigned Monday on 15 counts of grand theft, 15 counts of unqualified sales of securities, 15 counts of misrepresentation in sales of securities and two counts of tax evasion.

Trujillo told potential investors he was the brother of the former Mexican president, but investigators have found no evidence to support that claim, Robison said.

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“I can confirm that this guy is in no way, shape or form related to Vicente Fox,” Robison said.

People who say they were victimized by Trujillo have described him as a debonair, self-confident man who drove fancy cars and boasted of his connections to the wealthy and powerful.

A public defender was appointed to represent Trujillo, Robison said.

His citizenship status was not clear.

The district attorney’s office launched an investigation in June 2008 into allegations that the suspect offered bogus investments between March 2006 and August 2007. He allegedly promised high returns on investments and accepted money for nonexistent projects.

Among the schemes were land purchases in Los Angeles and Mexico; short-term loans to his company, Xanadu Mexico International; and a cellphone venture capital project, said district attorney’s officials.

If convicted, he could face more than 27 years in prison.

In 2008, Beverly Hills investors filed several lawsuits against Trujillo, alleging financial schemes similar to those outlined by the district attorney’s office.

He pleaded guilty more than 20 years ago to two counts of fraud and was sentenced to 10 years in prison after investors in Florida and Arizona complained he had disappeared with their money. Trujillo served six years of his sentence in Arizona before he was released on parole, records show.

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patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com

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