Crime & Safety

Contractors Accused of Bilking Elderly Plead Not Guilty

Investigators have found victims in Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, Northridge and Sherman Oaks.

Two men pleaded not guilty to burglary and elder theft charges today for allegedly persuading senior citizens to agree to thousands of dollars in home repairs.

Eldad Syton, 33 of Valley Village, and Yair Zilberman, 30, of Encino are each charged with two counts of theft from an elder and nine counts of first-degree burglary.

Syton also is charged with 16 other counts, including six counts each of theft from an elder and first-degree burglary, three counts of grand theft of real property and one misdemeanor count of theft from an elder.

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Zilberman also is charged with 17 other counts, including six counts each of forgery and first-degree burglary, four counts of theft from an elder and one count of identity theft.

Syton, described by authorities as an unlicensed contractor, entered into contracts for pest extermination for a set fee and would then claim the homes had mold, termites or other problems to persuade his targets to agree to a new contract for work that was never done, according to Deputy District Attorney Michelle Dodd.

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Zilberman, who advertised air-duct cleaning services, is accused of persuading senior citizens to agree to other home-related services, charging them thousands of dollars for work that was never done, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Zilberman allegedly opened a line of credit on behalf of one person without permission and forged several of the victim's checks, the prosecutor said.

Authorities estimated the losses at nearly $500,000.

The two -- who have been behind bars for nearly a month -- are due back in a Van Nuys courtroom Aug. 13.

--City News Service


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