In 2009, Allen Stanford was one of the world's most influential bankers. The Texan's fortune was estimated to be around 2.2 billion dollars. He was a philanthropist, a newspaper publisher, and a renowned sportsman. Nothing could have led anyone to imagine that this affable man was at the time suspected of having pulled together a Ponzi scheme: a massive 8 billion dollar scam, the second biggest fraud in history.

With no formal training, he set himself up as a banker in the 1990s and reappeared in Antigua & Barbuda in the Caribbean. He had close ties with this tax haven's undemocratic government and it is here that he chose to operate an incredible scam wherein he promised very high interest rates to investors from around the world. However, as the money filled his personal coffers rather than being invested, Allen Stanford saw himself obliged to invent himself a fantasy image as a successful businessman in order to find even more clients and continue fuelling his scam.

Documentary: White Collar Gangsters – S2E2 Allen Standford – Billionaire Pirate of the Carribean
Directed by: Caroline Amiard
Produced by: Pallas Télévision

#freedocumentary #documentary #experts #bank #fraud #tax