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OAKLAND – Attorneys for a millionaire landlord and his son, facing federal charges on international transport and exploitation of illegal immigrants, set dates for pretrial motions and hearings in United States District Judge Sandra Armstrong’s courtroom Tuesday. 

Assistant United States Attorney John Kennedy told the court he is continuing to gather evidence against Lakireddy Bali Reddy and his son, Vijay Lakireddy, and plans to file new charges. The court will hear these charges Sept. 12. 

Reddy’s attorney, Ted Cassman, told the judge he plans to ask the court to dismiss two of the counts his client faces. 

These charges relate to the international transport of Chanti Jyotsna Devi Prattipati – alleged to be 17 years of age when she died in November of last year from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning in an apartment owned by Reddy – and her younger sister, alleged to be age 15 at the time charges were filed. 

Calling the charges against Reddy “vague,” Cassman said he would file his motion to dismiss by Aug. 8. Kennedy will have two weeks from that time to file his response with the court. 

Neither Reddy nor his son appeared in court Tuesday. Their absence seemed to irk Armstrong who reprimanded Cassman and Lakireddy’s attorney, George Cotsirilos, for not getting the court’s permission. 

“I like to be sure (the defendants) are making a deliberate and informed decision” to waive their rights to be present in court, she told the attorneys. 

“My client is in Merced. There are some logistical problems,” Cassman responded. 

Armstrong allowed the proceedings in the defendants’ absence. 

The court, which freed Reddy on $10 million bail, confined him to the Merced area, except for court dates. He currently faces eight counts of transporting, exploiting and sexually molesting foreigners, including minors, and faces up to 70 years in prison. 

Lakireddy, who lives in Berkeley, is free on $500,000 bail. 

He is charged with three counts of bringing people to the United States fraudulently, including conspiring with Reddy to bring them to the country. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison if found guilty on all three counts. 

Lakireddy’s attorney said the motion to dismiss two of the charges would apply to Reddy alone and not his client.