Accused Financier Scammer Stanford Missing

Texas financier R. Allen Stanford is accused of cheating 50,000 customers out of $8 billion dollars but despite raids Tuesday of his financial empire in Houston, Memphis, and Tupelo, Miss., federal authorities say they do not know the current whereabouts of the CEO.

The Securities Exchange Commission alleges Stanford ran a fraud promising investors impossible returns, much like Bernard Madoff's $50 billion alleged Ponzi scheme.

Investigators Tuesday shut down and froze the assets of three of the companies Stanford controls and they say the case could grow to be as big as the Madoff scandal. Like Madoff's clients, Stanford's investors are in shock.

"Initially we put our money in this institution and in a CD because we were nervous about the markets and thought it was a safe place," said investor Brett Zagone. "I'm so upset right now I can't even talk about it."

But in addition to angry clients, Stanford, like Madoff, has many friends in Washington.

Stanford's business is headquartered on the Caribbean island of Antigua. In the last decade, Stanford and his companies have spent more than $7 million on lobbyists and campaign contributions in efforts to loosen regulation of offshore banks.

Among the top recipients: Senator Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Congressman Pete Sessions (R-Texas), Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), one of the members who took a trip to Antigua where he was entertained by Stanford.

Sen Cornyn's office has said the trip "was strictly a fact-finding trip," and at the time, "there was nothing untoward or unseemly" about Stanford Financial.

Sen. Nelson said late Tuesday that he would return money received by Stanford. "I will give to charity any campaign contributions from him or his employees," Nelson said through his spokesman.

A McCain spokesperson said Wednesday that all contributions from Stanford would be donated. "The McCain Campaign is donating all contributions from R. Allen Stanford, and from individuals associated with Stanford Financial, to charity." This spokesperson said they will donate contributions made to both McCain's Presidential and Senate campaigns, but did not have a dollar amount.

Stanford himself did not contribute to the McCain Presidential campaign. He gave the maximum $4,600 contribution to President Obama's campaign. Indeed, Obama returned $2,300 that was contributed over the limit to Stanford.

Some say the investigation into Stanford should include an examination of his relationships with members of Congress.

"Surely there has to be a part of the investigation to look at what was done in Congress and whether the money that was spent to lobby and make political contributions played any role in all of this," said Sheila Krumholz of the Center for Responsive Politics.

Once again, this could be another case of the SEC asleep at the switch. Allegations of fraud and possible drug money laundering have been made against Stanford in the past ten years, but the SEC took action only after two former employees filed a lawsuit in civil court.

Financier charged with $9.2B fraud

The Securities and Exchange Commission said Tuesday that it has charged financier R. Allen Stanford and three of his companies with orchestrating a $9.2 billion investment and sales fraud.

The SEC's complaint alleges that the fraud centered on a CD program in which Stanford International Bank promised "improbable and unsubstantiated high interest rates."

SIB, based in Antigua, allegedly acted through a network of Stanford Group Company financial advisers to sell approximately $8 billion of "certificates of deposit" to investors.

The SEC's complaint also alleged an additional scheme relating to $1.2 billion in sales.

The bank boasted a unique investment strategy that it said allowed it to receive double-digit returns on its investments for the past 15 years, the SEC said.

"We are alleging a fraud of shocking magnitude that has spread its tentacles throughout the world," Rose Romero, director of the SEC's Fort Worth regional office, said in the statement.

The SEC also charged Stanford International's chief financial officer James Davis as well as Laura Pendergest-Holt, chief investment officer of Stanford Financial Group. The third company named in the complaint is investment adviser Stanford Capital Management.

According to the release, U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor issued a temporary restraining order, and froze the defendants' assets.

Early Tuesday, CNBC reported federal marshals were seen entering the offices of Stanford Financial Group in Houston. Reuters reported an eyewitness saw a sign taped to the window stating the company is now "under the management of a receiver."

SEC alleges false financial claims
According to the SEC's complaint, filed in federal court in Dallas, the defendants told CD purchasers that their deposits were safe, falsely claiming that the bank re-invests client funds primarily in the portfolio; monitors the portfolio through a team of more than 20 analysts; and is subject to yearly audits by Antiguan regulators.

Amid the news of Bernard Madoff's massive Ponzi scheme, SIB falsely claimed the bank has no "direct or indirect" exposure to the Madoff scheme, the statement said.

Stanford's inner circle
According to the SEC's complaint, a close circle of Stanford's family and friends operates SIB.

Its investment committee, responsible for managing the bank's multibillion-dollar portfolio of assets, includes Stanford; Stanford's father, who lives in Mexia, Tex.; another Mexia resident with business experience in cattle ranching and car sales; Pendergest-Holt, who had no financial or securities experience prior to joining SFG; and Davis, Stanford's college roommate.

SIB's Web site claims its network has $51 billion in deposits and assets under management or advisement, with more than 70,000 clients in 140 countries.

$20 million cricket match
In September, Forbes named Stanford No. 205 in its 400 Richest Americans article. He's used some of his billions to spark interest in cricket.

In 2006, he founded the "Stanford 20/20 Tournament," a single-elimination knockout cricket competition held in Antigua featuring 20 teams from several Caribbean territories competing for $1 million.

Stanford topped that in 2008 with the "Stanford Super Series," in which four teams competed for $20 million - the largest team prize for a single sporting match, according to the series' Web site.

An additional scheme
The SEC accused Stanford Group Company with an additional scheme relating to $1.2 billion in sales. It is alleged that SGC advisers used materially false historical performance data to create a mutual fund program called Stanford Allocation Strategy, the release said.

According to the complaint, the false data helped grow the program from less than $10 million in 2004 to more than $1 billion, generating SGC - and ultimately, Stanford - about $25 million in 2007 and 2008.

That fraudulent performance helped recruit registered investment advisers, who were then given heavy incentives to move their clients' assets to SIB's CD program, the release said.