Time to deal: Laura Pendergest-Holt, former chief investment officer at Stanford Financial Group Co., has agreed to plead guilty and serve three years in prison for her role in Allen Stanford’s $7 billion fraud, three people familiar with the matter are telling Bloomberg. Pendergest-Holt, 38, will plead guilty to a single obstruction charge, says one of the people, all of whom asked not to be identified because the plea agreement isn’t public. She faces a September trial on charges related to those that resulted in Stanford being sentenced last week to 110 years in prison. Read the full story here.
Natural fit: House Speaker Chuck Kleckley today announced that he has appointed Rep. Stuart Bishop, R-Lafayette, to serve as vice chair of the House Natural Resources Committee. “I think Stuart will be a good fit. He’s a big outdoorsman and he’s very passionate about natural resources,” Kleckley says in a prepared statement. Bishop, a construction salesman, was first elected in 2011 to represent House District 43 in Lafayette Parish.
Off the dribble: Anthony Davis is in New Orleans for a meet-and-greet with the team that is expected to make him the NBA’s top overall draft pick next week. The Hornets have yet to confirm publicly whom they intend to select at No. 1, but that’s among the worst-kept secrets in the world. Though team officials didn’t ask the 6-foot-11 Davis to work out, they did have him pose for pictures in a white Hornets jersey bearing the No. 23 that Davis plans to wear on the court next season. Davis’ itinerary also included lunch with new Hornets owner Tom Benson.
