Laura Pendergest-Holt

Laura Pendergest-Holt
Born (1973-07-23) July 23, 1973 (age 51)
Baldwyn, Mississippi
OccupationFormer financier
Criminal statusIncarcerated at Federal Medical Center, Lexington; Lexington, Kentucky; released on April 23, 2015
SpouseJim Holt
Children1
Conviction(s)June 21, 2012 (pleaded guilty)
Criminal chargeObstruction of justice
PenaltyThree years in prison, three years' supervised release

Laura Pendergest-Holt (born July 23, 1973) is a convicted Ponzi scheme perpetrator, financier, and former chief investment officer of Stanford Financial Group, who was charged with a civil charge of fraud on February 17, 2009.[1] On May 12, 2009, Pendergest-Holt was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of a criminal complaint of obstructing a fraud investigation and conspiracy to obstruct justice.[2][3] In early 2009, Stanford Financial became the subject of several fraud investigations, and on February 17, 2009, Pendergest-Holt was charged by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission with fraud and multiple violations of U.S. securities laws for alleged "massive ongoing fraud" involving $8 billion in certificates of deposit.[1] The FBI raided three of Stanford's offices in Houston, Memphis, and Tupelo, Mississippi.[4] On February 27, 2009, the SEC amended its complaint to describe the alleged fraud as a "massive Ponzi scheme".[5] On June 21, 2012, she pleaded guilty to obstructing a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into Stanford International Bank (SIB), the Antiguan offshore bank owned by Robert Allen Stanford.[6] On September 13, 2012, Holt was sentenced to three years in prison, followed by three years of supervised probation.[7] She was released on April 23, 2015.[8]

  1. ^ a b Securities and Exchange Commission, Plaintiff v. Stanford International Bank Ltd., Stanford Group Company, Stanford Capital Management LLC, R. Allen Stanford, James M. Davis, Laura Pendergest-Holt, Defendants, case no. 3:09-cv-00298-L (U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas (Dallas)).
  2. ^ Calkins, Laurel Brubaker; Andrew Harris (May 12, 2009). "Stanford Deputy Indicted on Two Counts of Obstruction". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference HoustonChronicle was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Ross, Brian; Joseph Rhee & Justin Rood (February 18, 2009). "Manhunt: Accused Financier Scammer Stanford Missing, Authorities say Investor Losses Could Rival Madoff Scandal". ABC News.
  5. ^ Driver, Anna (27 February 2009). "U.S. charges Stanford with massive Ponzi scheme". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
  6. ^ "Former Chief Investment Officer of Stanford Financial Group Pleads Guilty to Obstruction of Justice". US Department of Justice - June 21, 2012. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-26.
  7. ^ Crocker, Ronnie (September 13, 2012). "Former Stanford lieutenant sentenced to 3 years". Houston Chronicle.
  8. ^ Inmate Locator, Federal Bureau of Prisons