Stanford officer pleads not guilty
Published:Friday | May 15, 2009 | 6:03 PM
A senior officer of the Stanford Financial Group has pleaded not guilty to charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Chief Investment Officer Laura Pendergest-Holt, was indicted Tuesday on two charges of blocking a fraud investigation into Sir Allen Stanford\'s Houston-based banking and financial service network.
Thirty five year old Pendergest-Holt pleaded not guilty to the charges at a hearing yesterday.
She’s the first person indicted in the wide-ranging fraud investigation into Stanford\'s troubled companies, including the Antigua-based Stanford International Bank.
She was arrested and charged in February but was freed on a $3,000 bond.
If convicted, Pendergest-Holt could face up to five years in prison for each count.
A trial date has been set for July 20.