Texas financier R. Allen Stanford, who is awaiting trial on allegations he swindled investors out of more than $7 billion, was rushed to the hospital yesterday morning with his heart racing at more than 300 beats a minute -- three to five times the normal rate.
Stanford's attack came on the same day that one of his lieutenants, James Davis, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud, among other charges.
Stanford, 59, who denies accusations that he defrauded investors through his Caribbean bank, Stanford International Bank and who was scheduled to appear in a separate hearing, has been detained on the grounds that he represents a flight risk. He was taken by ambulance to the Conroe Regional Medical Center in Texas, seven miles south of his jail cell.
The defendant's condition was unknown and he was still undergoing testing, said Alfredo Perez, of the US Marshals Service of the Southern District of Texas.
Stanford's lawyer, Dick DeGeurin, didn't respond to several requests for comment.
Last month DeGeurin demanded cushier digs in downtown Houston for his client, complaining the current jail cell in Conroe, Texas, had no air conditioning despite the sweltering heat and "outdoor temperatures of 100 or more." DeGuerin also said the cell suffers frequent power outages and can be packed with as many as 10 people at a time.
Davis, 60, was the chief financial officer of Stanford International, the Antigua-based financial company where authorities say Stanford and his cohorts sold $7 billion worth of phony certificates of deposit.
The plea agreement said Davis had been covering up and lying for Stanford as far back as 1988. According to the authorities, Davis falsified documents that allowed the Texan business to use investors' CD money to take out $2 billion in loans.
He also wired money to Stanford for bribes paid to Leroy King, the bank's primary regulator in Antigua, according to the agreement.
The plea agreement describes a strange "blood oath brotherhood ceremony" Stanford performed with King and another Antigua regulator to ensure they remain faithful to him and the bank.
As part of the plea agreement, Davis is expected to cooperate fully with investigators. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 20.
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