Judge Issues Gag Order in Stanford Case

HOUSTON (AP) _ A federal judge in Houston has issued a gag order in the case of jailed Texas financier R. Allen Stanford and three of his former company executives.

All four are accused of bilking investors out of $7 billion in a massive Ponzi scheme.

In a court order released Thursday, U.S. District Judge David Hittner said he was forced to issue the order amid concern that the jury pool in the upcoming trials might be tainted because the case has been tried in the press.

Hittner issued the order on his own, without prosecutors or defense attorneys in the case asking for it.

Stanford’s trial is set to begin Jan. 24. His three co-defendants will be tried later.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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