Meanwhile at the Stanford trial

[malaise]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/ex-stanford-exec-tells-jurors-texas-financier-ran-businesses-through-mix-of-flattery-and-fear/2012/02/02/gIQADqmxkQ_story.html?wprss=rss_linkset&tid=sm_twitter_washingtonpost
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Jailed Texas financier R. Allen Stanford’s extreme measures to hide his Caribbean bank’s fraud included entering into a blood oath with a top regulator, the man who was in charge of the tycoon’s books told jurors Thursday.

“Mr. Stanford said they (he and King) actually cut themselves and had a blood oath,” a frail-looking Davis, 63, said.

Davis said Stanford made regular cash payments of “hush money” to King and another regulator “for them to look the other way.” He also testified the financier loaned the Antiguan government about $40 million, which was never repaid.

Davis, who ended up working in Stanford’s Memphis office, described an environment full of deceit in which the company’s chief investment officer, Laura Holt, lied to investors about monitoring all of the bank’s investments. Davis told jurors he had a two-year affair with Holt and that he had first met her at a Bible study class he and his wife taught. Holt is among the executives set to be tried in September.

These fundies never fail to amuse me - adulterers and thieves!