Monday, November 2, 2009

$1.5B sought for Stanford investors

DALLAS — The lawyer tracking down money lost in what authorities say was a massive Ponzi scheme run by R. Allen Stanford says he hopes to gain control of more than $1.5 billion that would be then returned to fleeced investors.
Court-appointed receiver Ralph Janvey filed a report in federal court in Dallas late Wednesday outlining his plan to go after the $1.5 billion and provide Stanford investors a return of as much as 20 cents on the dollar.

But John Little, a lawyer appointed to represent investors, said Janvey's recovery goal is "something of a fantasy" and that investors should prepare to get back as little as 2 cents on the dollar.

Authorities accuse Stanford of leading a $7 billion Ponzi scheme by promising inflated returns to about 28,000 investors on certificates of deposits at his Antiguan bank. The Securities and Exchange Commission said Stanford instead used the money from new investors to pay off old ones. They also accuse him of skimming more than $1 billion to fund his lavish lifestyle.

Stanford denies the allegations. His attorney did not return a message left by The Associated Press.

Janvey, who is winding down Stanford's businesses and collecting a pot of money to return to investors, has about $71 million in cash on hand.



Oil briefly above $80 as earnings beat forecastsWashington Report: Tax Credit