By Town Crier Staff

Sheriff’s deputies from Santa Clara County arrested a Cupertino man March 12 for elder fraud and grand theft.

Keenan Fields, 48, allegedly defrauded an 81-year-old widow out of $10,000 over a five-month period.

Police said he first contacted the woman about buying her 1993 Cadillac El Dorado last November. She did not have the car for sale but agreed to sell it to Fields for $7,000. Fields wrote a check for the amount, but told the woman not to cash it until he told her to do so. She signed the vehicle title over to Fields. Someone tipped the woman off in February that Fields had sold her car for $6,000. She had not yet cashed the check.

Fields approached the woman again and tried to trick her into giving him $15,000 for a certificate necessary to launder $1 million from an overseas associate. He told her that it was illegal for him to get the money unless he had a certificate. He ultimately convinced her to write him a $3,000 check if he wrote a postdated check in the same amount to her that she could cash at a later date after he transferred his money.

The woman told her family who reported the incident to a Social Services Elder Abuse Worker. The worker discovered that Fields’ checks were invalid and could not be accepted for payment from the bank.

Fields called the woman earlier this month to ask for another $5,000 while police were with her. Police told the woman to invite Fields over. When Fields arrived, police arrested him.

He was booked at the Santa Clara County Main Jail.

Sheriff’s deputies believe there could be more area victims. Anyone with information should contact Detective Danny Aulman at (408) 867-9715.