Cricket was starting to fail in the Caribbean. Financially bereft. And the soul had gone from West Indies’ cricket. ibid. Jonathan Agnew
Sir Allen’s first multi-million-dollar investment in cricket was a Caribbean tournament called the Stanford 20/20. ibid. caption
He had a lot of money to throw around. And that was raising red flags. Where was this money coming from? ibid. Vanessa Walther, FBI special agent
The money laundering allegations continued to swirl around Stanford for a long time. But at the same time he starts selling Certificates of Deposit. ibid. Laurel Calkins, business journalist
Stanford appealed to customers by offering a CD that promised to pay 2% more in interest than rival banks. ibid.
After four years on Montserrat, Allen relocated his bank to the larger Caribbean island of Antigua. ibid.
Stanford International Bank, 2008: $7.6 billion in deposits. ibid.
There was always the sense that this felt weird. The Man Who Bought Cricket II: ‘You’ve Sold Your Soul, Lads’, Stuart Broad
As the England cricket team prepare for Stanford’s tournament, both the FBI & SEC are investigating his businesses. ibid.
He got a bit friendly with the players’ wives and girlfriends. ‘Turning into an ego-fuelled farce’ says The Mail. ibid. Sky News
Stanford like most con artists realised you needed to dress up the fraud. You needed to really make it big and sound established. ibid. Gregg Costa, prosecutor US vs Robert Allen Stanford
The realisation really dawned on them that this was ugly. Because you’ve sold your soul, lads. ibid. Jonathan Agnew
But as the game approaches, a criminal investigation into his financial empire is coming to a head. The Man Who Bought Cricket III: Is It Fun Being a Billionaire? caption
As the world faced financial meltdown, Allen Stanford was about the spend $20 million on one game of cricket. ibid.
Shortly after Madoff was arrested, the SEC issued court orders requesting interviews with Standford executives. ibid.
Everyone knew but me that there was trouble on the horizon. ibid. chief investment officer Laura
Following Jim Davis’ testimony, the FBI had enough evidence to file criminal charges. Allen Stanford was finally arrested on 18 June 2009. ibid. caption
For billionaire Allen Stanford has been sentenced to – listen to this – 110 years in prison; it follows his conviction on 13 charges including fraud and conspiracy. ibid. news
The difficult thing is, this is still going on. And it’s happened before. And there may be people out there that he could have done anything to. The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman s1e1: They Vanished, Netflix 2022
The secret MI5 agent is described as a continuing danger. ibid. news
It became very evidence that David was behind a lot of this but I couldn’t work out why. ibid. father
Freegard had already scammed nearly two million dollars in cash from his victims. Then I clicked on images. Bang! David Hendy is Robert Freegard. He is the same man. Utterly shocked. And the crimes he has carried out are horrific. ibid.
For a year my daughter Sarah has gone missing. I was worried. I was trying to trace Sarah. The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman s1e2: Chasing a Ghost
What spy school? Why did she fail her spy exams? Isn’t that why she asked My Adams for six thousand dollars, or pounds was it? The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman s1e3: Setting the Trap, rozzers to Freegard when arrested
Sarah Smith has been missing for ten years. ibid. caption
On September 6th 2005 Robert Freegard is sentenced to Life imprisonment. ibid.
‘He is not guilty of that offence [on appeal]’ … In May 2009 Freegard is released form prison. ibid. rozzer and caption
[James Randi]: Some people cannot believe that a magician can fool them in such a way that they can’t figure it out. But magicians can and magicians do. Storyville: Exposed: Magicians, Psychics & Frauds, aka An Honest Liar, 2015
It’s OK to fool people as long as you’re doing that to teach them a lesson. ibid.
I’ve always had my battle with the psychics … People who are scheming money from the public. ibid.
A good magician needs to be a little bit of a conman, I think. He needs to be a criminal type but not have enough guts to rob banks. ibid.
‘His point is to widen your scope of vision.’ ibid. comment
People really do believe this nonsense. ibid. Randi
Uri Geller: He Denies He’s a Magician. ibid. TV caption
Carson’s people had followed the instructions I had given them. ibid. Randi
During the 80s the faith-healing racket was very prominent. ibid.
James Randi: The Truth About Uri Geller. ibid.
Her story originated in Belgium but she was living in Millis, Massachusetts, twenty miles away from the radio station. Storyville: Misha and the Wolves, DJ, BBC 2022
When she was only seven years old she walked alone for years, through Nazi occupied countries across thousands of miles in search of her deported parents. Misha is now a grown up Jewish woman living in the Boston area. She is a Holocaust survivor. ibid.
The Jury found anonymously for Misha on all counts. ibid.
This doesn’t add up. Clearly, she knows a lot more about who she is than she told me. ibid. Woman
The fact that she changed the name in France and Belgium … suggests to me that she is trying to hide something. ibid. woman #2
It’s all a big scam. ibid. television news
Nowadays, the best way you can meet someone is on a dating app. The Tinder Swindler, woman, Netflix 2022
I get these threatening messages. These enemies were watching me, my family. ibid.
He has this magnetism. There is something about this guy that is special. ibid.
The Israeli millionaire that cheated on women. ibid. victim searches Google
A guy who had pretended to be the son of a diamond millionaire. ibid. victim
Simon Leviev was sentenced to 15 months for the crimes he committed in Israel. He was released after 5 months … Simon currently lives in Israel as a free man … It is estimated he has swindled $10 million from victims across the globe. ibid. caption
I’m a born Catholic. But I would not like to be excluded from Heaven on a technicality. My name is Giovanni di Stefano. I’m a lawyer. Best known as the Devil’s advocate. I have defended the indefensible, from Saddam Hussein to Charles Manson. Devil’s Advocate: The Mostly True Story of Giovanni di Stefano, Sky Documentaries 2022
His client list runs as a Who’s Who for the criminal world. ibid. QC
The case of John Palmer. Goldfinger … ‘Giovanni got a £33 million confiscation order set aside for a notorious criminal.’ ibid.
R v Hoogstraten … ‘His conviction quashed.’ ibid.
‘His motivation was to stick two fingers up to the legal establishment.’ ibid.
MGM: I got away with $249 million. ibid. Giovanni
‘He said, I’m in Iraq. I’m representing Saddam Hussein.’ ibid. other client
May 2006: ‘I was handed a file that contained an allegation brought against Giovanni di Stefano … of stealing the bail security.’ ibid.
Was he allowed to practice here? I don’t think he was legally allowed to practise law, was he, in this country? ibid. QC
A hornet’s nest of politics and espionage. ibid.
He didn’t appear to have done any work on my behalf. Devil’s Advocate: The Mostly True Story of Giovanni di Stefano II disgruntled client
He’d never registered with the Law Society. ibid. rozzer
By hook or by crook, whether he was brought back kicking and screaming, he was going to come back to the UK for a trial. We just had to find him. ibid.
He was clearly affected by the fact that he was going to be tried. And he know the establishment would be against him. Devil’s Advocate: The Mostly True Story of Giovanni di Stefano III
The defendant is a long-standing member of the security services, MI6. ibid. Giovanni
Giovanni di Stefano was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted of 25 charges of fraud and deception. ibid. news
There’s not a chance of Giovanni ever going quietly. ibid.
‘Who’s the best person to scam? Your average, middle class, unsophisticated losers.’ Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller s1e4: Scams, National Geographic 2020
Jamaica, Israel: two capitals of a multi-billion-dollar industry. Meet the voice on the other end of that unrecognised number that won’t stop calling you. ibid.
It all starts here: in call centres. Call centres were set up on the island to take advantage of the fact that Jamaicans speak English. And receive lower wages. But a few local entrepreneurs saw another opportunity. ibid.
I was like a fish. That hook was so far down my belly.’ Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller s2e6: Romance Scams, victim
Romance scamming: a global crimewave that surged during our loneliest moments of the pandemic. ibid.
In 2008 John and Anne Darwin were sentenced to six years in prison for fraud. The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe: The Real Story, caption, ITV 2022
Pretending you’re dead is quite easy. Coming back to life is as everyone knows slightly more difficult. ibid. John Darwin