Allen Stanford can't recall -ANYTHING!

[malaise]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jan/24/the-spin-cricket-email-allen-stanford?CMP=EMCSPTEML942
<snip>
Allen Stanford. Remember him? Many people would prefer not to, including, it has been argued in a Houston Courthouse, the man himself. Stanford faces 14 counts of fraud and money laundering, stemming from his alleged orchestration of a $7bn Ponzi scheme that defrauded 20,000 investors. His defence say that he is suffering from "extensive retrograde amnesia", a consequence of the vicious assault he suffered while incarcerated in the Joe Corley Detention Facility in Texas. According to the Wall Street Journal, the story goes that in the moments after the attack, which was sparked by a row over a telephone, Stanford lay, chained to a gurney and "coughing up blood" and was asked: 'what is your name?'

During the recent hearing to decide whether or not Stanford was fit to stand trial, the prosecutor's filing recorded that "Stanford has recently repeatedly claimed being 'completely amnestic to his life prior to the assault, stating that 59 years were stolen.'"

Stanford, the prosecutor's report continued, claims to be unable to recall events "including his romantic encounters with various female partners, past vacation and holiday activities with his children, visits with famous politicians, as well as details of his business and banking operations." His family members have had to "educate" him about his previous life, and he has "indicated feeling bad after being informed by his family that he was known as a 'womanizer.'"

In that hearing the prosecution, led by Assistant US Attorney Gregg Costa, disputed the extent of Stanford's amnesia. They argued that his scores on medical and neuropsychological evaluation tests "were sufficiently low as to evidence that he either was not trying or was faking." They also pointed out that he underwent a magnetic brain scan in March that showed "no evidence of damage to any part of Stanford's brain that processes memory. Specifically, the neurologist found that Stanford's reported memory deficits were 'grossly out of proportion to expected memory loss' from a head trauma.'"

[Atman]

1. Damn...I forgot to rec this. What was it about?

What the hell web site is this? How did I get here?

.

[malaise]

5. Guardian has a great sports website and Stanford

really jumped into West Indian and English cricket with a view to promoting his ponzi crookedness.

[russspeakeasy]

2. I know he forgot to send me the $1 billion he owes me.

[JDPriestly]

3. Can he assist with his defense?

Yes. He can look at the documents from the time and comment on them.

His memory will come back most likely if he hears the testimony of witnesses from that time.

Anyway, they can always call a mistrial if he really cannot participate in any meaningful way.

His crimes are serious, and he should not be permitted to avoid at least the beginning of a trial.

On edit, he should enter a plea of guilty and negotiate with the prosecutor. He should not be allowed to get off scot-free. This is yet another example of money corrupting our system.

[TheWraith]

7. Actually that's not true: "reminder therapy" doesn't actually restore memories.

Showing an amnesiac things from time periods they've lost access to has been shown to have no effect on memory recovery. Although it's sometimes SEEMED that way, but that's due to the fact that memories usually come back on their own unless there's organic damage.

[JDPriestly]

8. He may be faking amnesia. Someone who can manage a Ponzi

scheme of the magnitude alleged in his case could probably fake just about anything. He may actually have persuaded himself that he no longer can remember things that he really can remember.

That is why I am suggesting that the trial begin and that if the judge becomes convinced that he really is confused and really does not recall or understand things that happened, then the judge can decide whether to declare a mistrial.

I don't know whether that would be acceptable procedure, but it makes sense to me. He may be a scoundrel capable of anything.

[TheWraith]

9. That's pretty much a given. Amnesia doesn't work that way.

Amnesia is NOT usually triggered by a blow to the head, but by other medical conditions like a stroke. On the times it is, via traumatic brain injury, the memory loss is usually isolated to times close to the injury, such not remembering anything from the day of a car accident. Classic "soap opera amnesia" in the form of total retrograde amnesia blocking all memories from before an injury is, in fact, so exceedingly rare as to be not well understood due to the lack of research subjects.

[denbot]

4. I'll bet he doesn't forget to make sure his defence team is well paid.

Memory is a funny thing..

[TheWraith]

6. Amnesia does not work that way.

Contrary to popular myth, amnesia does NOT usually result from a blow to the head, nor is it likely to manifest as a loss of long term memory. Amnesia most often manifests as a short term loss of memory surrounding a specific event, i.e. being unable to remember anything from the day of a car crash, or during a severe illness.