Judge to rule today on Stanford’s mental fitness for trial

U.S. District Judge David Hittner says he’ll rule today whether jailed Texas businessman R. Allen Stanford is mentally competent to stand trial on charges of running a $7 billion investment fraud, the Houston Chronicle reports. Expert witnesses have offered differing opinions on whether ailments and injuries since his arrest in 2009 have diminished Stanford’s mental capacity to the point that he cannot assist his defense lawyers. Stanford’s lawyers contend he has no memories of many events before Sept. 24, 2009, when he was injured in a fight with another jail inmate. Two witnesses told the judge on Wednesday that Stanford has suffered brain damage and is not competent to stand trial. A government witness testified Tuesday that he believes Stanford is faking amnesia, an opinion he said is supported by tests Stanford took that are designed to detect such deception. Under cross-examination Wednesday, one of the witnesses supporting Stanford’s claims acknowledged he didn’t conduct any tests to see if Stanford was faking but that his symptoms are characteristic of someone who suffered a genuine traumatic brain injury. Stanford, 61, who headed Houston-based Stanford Financial Group, maintains he is innocent of the 14 charges he faces. Read the full stories here and here.