Jury Says Ex-Envoy Involved in Stanford Ponzi Scam Must Pay $750K

A federal jury has decided that ex-U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador Peter Romero would not be allowed to keep over $758K in expenses, fees, and interest he earned while lending his legal counsel and credibility to Allen Stanford. Instead, he will pay that sum to the court appointed receiver.

Stanford was convicted in 2012 of fraud and money laundering, perpetuating a global multibillion-dollar scam in the process. His Houston-based empire was shut down in 2009 when the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission accused him of running his $7 billion Stanford Ponzi scam that bilked thousands of investors. The scheme involved the sale of CDs from his bank in Antigua.

Receiver Paul Janvey contends that Romero and certain other consultants did not ask the most basic questions about Stanford’s bogus banking empire. Romero was invited to serve on Stanford’s International Advisory Board after sitting next to him at an inaugural ball for President George W. Bush in 2001.

Romero received $1 million in fees for his role as consultant-fixer over issues involving business and politics in Central America. During testimony, he claimed that he had no idea Stanford was committing fraud and said that he too was deceived.

He is not the only one that Janvey is going after. Ex-Texas Lt. Governor Ben Barnes was purportedly paid $5 million, while ex-Houston Mayor Lee Brown was paid under $300K. Both will be allowed to keep all of the money if they can persuade a jury that their work with Stanford was conducted in good faith and that the services provided were the reasonable equivalent in value to how much they were paid.

Unfortunately it is investors who lose out when they become the victims of a Ponzi scam. Please contact Shepherd Smith Edwards and Kantas, LTD LLP today. Our Texas securities fraud lawyers are here to help investors recoup their losses.

Ex-envoy who aided Ponzi schemer Stanford must pay $758,000, Dallas jury decides, The Dallas Morning News, February 13, 2015

Former U.S. diplomat implicated in Stanford Ponzi scheme, CNBC, January 22, 2015

Texas jury rules U.S. ex-diplomat must repay over $700,000 in Ponzi scheme, Reuters,

More Blog Posts:
Ex-California Insurer Charged with Running $11M Ponzi Scam, Stockbroker Fraud Blog, December 8, 2014

SEC to Dismiss Lawsuit Against SIPC Over Payments to Stanford Ponzi Scam Victims, Stockbroker Fraud Blog, September 11, 2014

Madoff Ponzi Scam Victims Recover Over $10 Billion, Institutional Investor Securities Blog, December 5, 2014