Allen Stanford, the accused swindler, was rushed to hospital from his prison cell in Texas at 5.50am, Dick DeGuerin, his lawyer, confirmed today.
The Texas-born financier and cricket impresario was taken to Conroe Regional Medical Center with a rapid heart rate of more than 300 beats a minute.
Mr Stanford, 59, faces charges, which he denies, of defrauding US investors out of $7 billion (£4.3 billion), and was recently denied bail on the ground that he represented a flight risk.
He has been sharing a cell with about ten inmates at a prison in Conroe, Texas, where he has complained of the "intolerable" conditions with temperatures reaching 38C (100F).
"They have almost non-existent medical care there. A fellow cellmate almost died with rapid heart beat several weeks ago," he said.
Mr DeGuerin was speaking on his way to a court hearing at 9am that was due to include Mr Stanford.
The lawyer is seeking to withdraw from the case because, among other reasons, he has yet to be paid.
"I don’t think the hearing can go ahead in Sir Allen’s absence," he said.
Meanwhile, James Davis, Mr Stanford's former finance director, pleaded guilty to fraud charges when he appeared in court today.
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