Stanford Ruled Incompetent to Stand Trial
BY DEALBOOKArticle Tools
F. Carter Smith/Bloomberg NewsThe jailed Texas financier R. Allen Stanford was ruled to be incompetent for trial at this time.A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the jailed Texas financier R. Allen Stanford was incompetent to stand trial at this time on charges that he ran a $7 billion Ponzi scheme.
Judge David Hittner in Federal District Court in Houston ordered Mr. Stanford to be treated for drug addiction at a federal prison hospital. The judge denied a defense request to place Mr. Stanford in a private hospital for treatment, saying he is considered a flight risk.
“The court finds Stanford is incompetent to stand trial at this time based on his apparent impaired ability to rationally assist his attorneys in preparing his defense,” Judge Hittner ruled.
But in ruling against the motion to place Mr. Stanford in a private hospital, the judge noted that the Texas financier had previously been denied requests to be released on bail ahead of his trial.
“It is not lost on the court that Stanford’s motion to be released to a local mental facility for treatment may be yet another attempt by Stanford to be released on bond,” Judge Hittner wrote. “The court’s finding that Stanford is incompetent, however, does not alter the court’s finding that Stanford is a flight risk and that no combination of conditions of pretrial release can reasonably assure his appearance at trial.”
Mr. Stanford’s trial had been scheduled to start this week.
READ FULL POST HERE
No comments:
Post a Comment