Robert Allen Stanford

Stories 21 - 40 | << Prev   Next >>

'Devastated' Stanford: I'm No Thief

Billionaire denies running Ponzi scheme, points finger at former CFO

(Newser) - “As God is my witness, there is no Ponzi scheme," accused swindler Sir Robert Allen Stanford told the Houston Chronicle yesterday. His financial companies were well-run before the government seized and "disemboweled" them, claimed the billionaire. If any fraud was committed at Stanford Financial, it was done...

Stanford Pulled in $5B While SEC Dithered

Feds ignored employee warnings, fumbled over jurisdiction

(Newser) - When the Securities and Exchange Commission sent probing questionnaires in 2005 to investors who’d bought certificates of deposit from Stanford Group, panic set in. “Then it all seemed to go away,” says one former Stanford employee. Concerns over jurisdiction stayed the SEC’s hand for almost 4...

Tearful Stanford 'Madder Than Hell' at Ponzi Charges

Tycoon expects indictment in 2 weeks

(Newser) - Sir Robert Allen Stanford expects an indictment from the feds in a couple of weeks, but maintained his innocence in an interview with ABC News. The disgraced financier cried and told his interlocutor, “I will punch you in the mouth” if he mentioned reports that Stanford laundered drug money....

Madoff, Stanford Victims Can Get Break From IRS

Taxpayers may deduct up to 95% of Ponzi losses: commissioner

(Newser) - Victims of Ponzi schemes—including those perpetrated by Bernard Madoff and R. Allen Stanford—can claim big deductions on their taxes, the IRA commissioner told lawmakers today. The matter, unclear in the tax code, had been a concern for victims, the New York Times reports. The IRS “is issuing...

Stanford Scam Leaves Artist Without Gold for Show

$3.3M of bullion for Burden frozen by feds

(Newser) - The US government’s ongoing investigation into Allen Stanford has ensnared an unlikely victim: the Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills. Artist Chris Burden was to open an exhibition featuring 220 pounds of solid gold, worth $3.3 million, that the gallery purchased for him. But the company they bought it...

Stanford Accounts to Remain Frozen

(Newser) - A federal judge ruled today that thousands of investor accounts with R. Allen Stanford's financial companies will remain frozen for another 10 days, while a court-appointed receiver said he's developing a plan to return some of the money to its owners. Stanford's companies have been in receivership since the Securities...

Feds: Stanford Ran Massive Ponzi Scheme

Chief investment officer freed on 300K bond after night in jail

(Newser) - Federal officials have labeled shamed financier R. Allen Stanford’s operation a Ponzi scheme for the first time, the Houston Chronicle reports. The accusation—meaning the company used cash from new investors to pay older ones—came in an amended civil fraud complaint from the SEC yesterday alleging Stanford and...

Stanford Officer Held on $300K Bail

(Newser) - Laura Pendergest-Holt, the chief investment officer for disgraced financier Robert Allen Stanford’s firm, is being held on $300,000 bail, the Houston Chronicle reports. Her family is attempting to come up with the $30,000 cash necessary to free her. Holt spent last night in prison after being accused...

SEC Overlooked Stanford Fraud in 2003

Former employee warned agency, others of 'Ponzi scheme'

(Newser) - A former employee of Sir Allen Stanford warned the SEC in 2003 of an “illegal Ponzi scheme” involving his firms, but regulators brushed off the allegations, the Financial Times reports. The whistleblower also told another regulatory body that one of Stanford’s companies was “engaged in a Ponzi...

FBI Arrests High-Ranking Stanford Exec

Investment officer faces SEC obstruction charges

(Newser) - FBI agents have arrested the chief investment officer of Stanford Financial Group, accusing Laura Pendergest-Holt of obstructing an SEC fraud investigation. The SEC has been investigating allegations of an $8 billion investment fraud involving Texas billionaire R. Allen Stanford's financial group. Pendergest-Holt, arrested in Houston, will appear in court tomorrow....

Stanford Bank in Antigua Missing $8B

'It appears to be a Ponzi scheme,' investigator says

(Newser) - Investigators rummaging around Allen Stanford's Antiguan bank have confirmed media reports that $8 billion is missing, the Times of London reports. “The $8 billion you hear about in the media isn’t there,” one official told customers outside the Stanford International Bank. "It appears to be a...

Stanford Loses Cozy Caribbean Domain

Mexican drug lord laundered money there

(Newser) - R. Allen Stanford is an institution in Antigua—so much so that some residents call the Caribbean island “Stanford Land”—and now the country is reeling from the SEC fraud case against him. The country has seized Stanford’s bank, but it’s still facing questions about its...

Yanks' Damon Stung by Stanford Scandal

(Newser) - Two New York Yankees—Johnny Damon and Xavier Nady— have had their finances frozen by the SEC in connection with the Stanford fraud scandal, Fox Sports reports. Both players kept their money in Stanford banks, and the SEC says they should have access to it in a few days. But...

Stanford Had a Castle, Fleet of Planes

Paternity-suit docs reveal lifestyle of the rich and fraudulent

(Newser) - Say this for Sir Allen Stanford: He knew how to live large. The alleged fraudster once lived in his own Florida castle, complete with moat, and owned, among other baubles, $100 million worth of airplanes, Bloomberg reports. Those assets and others are detailed in court documents from a paternity case...

Stanford's Dad: 'I Hope He's Not a Crook'

(Newser) - “I can’t believe these allegations,” says James Stanford. The 81-year-old has recently been subpoenaed by the SEC about the actions of his now-infamous son, R. Allen Stanford, who’s accused of an $8 billion fraud scheme. Stanford sits on the Stanford Financial board but hasn’t been...

FBI Finds Stanford in Virginia
 FBI Finds Stanford in Virginia  
updated
Feb 19, 2009 4:11 PM CST

FBI Finds Stanford in Virginia

(Newser) - Manhunt over: FBI agents located fugitive financier Sir R. Allen Stanford near Fredericksburg, Va., today and served him with civil legal papers on behalf of the SEC. Stanford, accused of bilking investors of $8 billion, is not under arrest and remains free. He did, however, turn over his passport to...

Obama Gives Stanford Money to Charity
Obama Gives Stanford Money to Charity
Feb 19, 2009 12:06 PM CST

Obama Gives Stanford Money to Charity

Alleged fraud artist donated to many pols, including McCain

(Newser) - Barack Obama has donated the $4,600 in campaign contributions he received from R. Allen Stanford to charity, the LA Times reports. Obama is one of many politicians the alleged fraudster courted; another was John McCain, who promised yesterday that he too would return or donate the funds. Stanford was...

Stanford's Other Mess: Cricket
 Stanford's Other Mess: Cricket  
Feb 19, 2009 10:45 AM CST

Stanford's Other Mess: Cricket

(Newser) - Before he was charged with massive fraud, Sir Allen Stanford was often charged with an equally grievous offense: subverting the game of cricket. The Texan was among the sport’s deepest-pocketed fans, but the fast-paced Twenty20 tournaments he favored annoy purists. When Stanford put up $20 million in prize money...

Venezuela Seizes Stanford Bank, Calls It Healthy

Country provided up to 30% of group's funds

(Newser) - Venezuela has taken control of a bank run by alleged fraudster R. Allen Stanford and his Stanford International Group, the New York Times reports. A banking regulator said the retail bank is essentially healthy, but Venezuelans are still fretting. “When Venezuelan forces say nothing is wrong,” explained one...

Stanford May Have Ties to Mexican Drug Cartel

FBI money laundering probe predated SEC swoop on financier

(Newser) - Fugitive financier R. Allen Stanford was under investigation over possible ties to a Mexican drug cartel long before the SEC swooped in on his firm, federal authorities tell ABC News. The FBI and other agencies began probing Stanford on suspicion of money laundering a year ago, after Mexican authorities detained...

Stories 21 - 40 | << Prev   Next >>
Most Read on Newser