Judge gets frustrated with Stanford/New lawyers appointed

R. Allen Stanford arrives at the Federal Courthouse on Tuesday seeking his ‘Sixth Amendment right' to choose new attorneys.

businessman R. Allen Stanford got two new lawyers Tuesday, but not before a federal judge became frustrated questioning the shackled defendant.

Mike Essmyer, a longtime Houston criminal defense lawyer, told Senior U.S. District Judge David Hittner that Stanford wants new counsel because of a conflict with his last set of lawyers.

Hittner himself questioned Stanford, noting that he's now asked for 11 different lawyers. The judge told Stanford to sit down when the defendant would not give the judge the yes or no answers he was looking for. Essmyer, Stanford's new lead counsel, finished the questioning.

Kent Schaffer, Stanford's last lawyer, said he and George “Mac” Secrest are happy to be leaving the case. He said the trouble the judge had with the obstinate Stanford that morning was a tiny taste of the difficulty he had in the months he represented Stanford.

“I feel great, just like I did after my first divorce,” Schaffer said. “We're lawyers who don't do what our clients necessarily want. We do what our experience tells us is best for their case.”

High turnover
Stanford's lawyers in his criminal case have included ones from Washington and Houston, and he defended the high turnover in Tuesday's hearing.

“I think I have a Sixth Amendment right to pick counsel of my choice,” Stanford told the judge.

“Over and over again?” Hittner replied. The judge said he will grant no more lawyer substitutions and the trial will go forward as planned in January.

Essmyer told reporters he thinks a lot of the musical chairs occurred over problems involving legal fees. Ess- myer will now handle the case with Houston-based consumer lawyer Robert S. Bennett, who also does some criminal cases.

He said he's ready to go forward with the case and will now explore asking that the case be moved because of pre-trial publicity.

Essmyer handles everything from traffic tickets to white-collar crime, he said. He said his fee in this case is likely to be $700 an hour.

Stanford, 60, founder and chairman of Stanford Financial Group, faces 21 federal criminal charges in connection with what the government calls a $7 billion Ponzi scheme. Stanford has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He has been detained without bail as a flight risk since his indictment.

Pay for Stanford's lawyers has been an issue since the Securities and Exchange Commission first froze assets of Stanford and the company in February 2009.

Lloyd's of London, which insured Stanford company directors and officers, has been ordered by courts to pay until recently but is fighting that ruling. The company says that under its contract, it doesn't have to pay criminal lawyers because the company's chief financial officer pleaded guilty to charges and described what Lloyd's contends was money laundering at the firm.

Security tight
Hittner asked Essmyer and Bennett to promise to stay on the case as appointed lawyers if the insurance money runs out. The judge also told Stanford that he will not automatically let more lawyers join the team.

Security was unusually tight in the courtroom. U.S. marshals at first moved spectators away from the side of the courtroom with unobstructed views and later asked for bar identification from most of those allowed to sit in the front row behind Stanford.