Wild West World founder Thomas Etheredge has a new lead defense attorney for his Jan. 19 trial on securities fraud charges.

Chris Joseph, a criminal defense specialist and the son of firm partner Steve Joseph, will be Etheredge's lead counsel in the trial before Sedgwick County District Court Judge Ben Burgess.

He will be assisted by his father, who has stepped down as lead counsel because of health problems.

Chris Joseph runs Joseph & Hollander's Topeka office.

He is a 1997 graduate of Wichita State University and a 2000 graduate of the University of Kansas School of Law.

Etheredge is charged with nine counts of misleading private investors in his Wild West World, a $24 million theme park that opened in May 2007 and closed two months later.

If convicted, he faces 14 years in prison.