As a former licensed broker and securities supervisor, I have advised several brokers about the potential of facing an SEC action and civil lawsuit. It is a daunting thought but it doesn't have to be overwhelming. Just talking to someone knowledgeable in the area can really give you peace of mind.

Last week, the financial behemoth of Texas, Stanford Financial, saw it's doors closed and locked and it's assets frozen. Investor's from all of the world rushed to get their money out, but they were too late. The SEC filed a civil suit against Allen Stanford and his four top advisers.

You can review the documents filed by the SEC. They are the SEC Complaint.pdf, the SEC Memorandum of Law.pdf, the Order freezing assets.pdf and the Order appointing receiver.pdf
It's still too early to tell but there are certainly going to be criminal charges following the civil action. That means that it's likely that several of Stanford's key employees could be charged with several different charges ranging in seriousness from Fraud to Fraudulent Prospectus filing.

When the story first broke, everyone assumed that Stanford was guilty and he was hiding out. They were wrong. Yesterday, he turned himself in and made a point of turning over his passport to reassure the SEC authorities that he intends to face the allegations against him.

It's important that Mr. Stanford and all of his key employees and anyone else charged with any crime be given the presumption of innocence. Until all of the facts are known, rushing to judge and labeling someone as a criminal violates the sanctity of our United States Constitution. Innocent until proven guilty.

Mr. Stanford and his employees will have a long road to travel if they are going to face these charges and have any hopes of surviving this ordeal.

The agents of the federal government are very good at what they do and it is important that anyone associated or affiliated with Stanford, consult with a qualified lawyer immediately. Trying to discuss the problem with a top notch lawyer after making a statement to the government is useless.

As an attorney, licensed in Federal District Court as well as many other courts and being a former broker, I am extremely familiar with securities cases and "white collar crimes." If you or anyone you know needs to talk to someone familiar with the rules and regulations of the SEC, please give me a call.

Sergio Robles was found not guilty by a jury in Galveston County Court Number One on Monday, February 9, 2009 after a 20 minute deliberation.
The shocker is that these two police officer's are still out patrolling the streets. Here's how they treat a mentally ill, severely depressed person. Channel 11 KHOU has the full story.
Are they going to have to kill someone until they are removed from the police force?
What is it going to take to convince the district attorney that these two officers need to be charged as criminals?
Sergio Robles was in jail for almost three months. These police officers need to be subjected to at least that same amount of time as well as not being able to hold a badge or a gun with which to threaten innocent civilians.

I am frequently asked how to go about choosing a good lawyer for a criminal charge. There is a simple answer - the one that is going to fight for you and is more concerned with your welfare than their own selfish interests, is a good place to start.
Of course, you want someone that knows their way around the courtroom and has the reputation of being a trial lawyer but even a less experienced attorney who is willing to fight for their client's rights is better than the most experienced lawyer who looks at a client as a paycheck.
After being asked this over the past several years, I finally decided to compile a book about this. "How to Choose a Texas DWI Lawyer" has been submitted for publication but is currently distributable in electronic format.
If you would like a copy of this informative guide to selecting your criminal lawyer, please email me at kwcase@caselawpllc.com and I will forward your copy immediately.
The more you can educate yourself about the process of selecting the right attorney, the better off you will be when the time comes and you need quality, top-notch legal advice and representation.

In the early morning hours of August 21, 2006, Mr. Sergio Robles was seen walking down a dark stretch of highway 6 in Santa Fe, Texas in what was to begin a two and-a-half year ordeal. When police arrived to "investigate", they claimed that Mr. Robles "resisted arrest" and proceeded to slam all 130 pounds of him on to the top of the police car. Then, like a rag doll, the two officers whose combined weight was over 500 pounds, threw Mr. Robles to the ground and proceeded to beat him with their fists, and even used unauthorized weapons to cause as much pain and harm as possible. Had they taken the time to ask even minimal questions, they would have learned that he was a recently diagnosed schizophrenic whose father had died three days earlier and because of the trauma, he had not been taking his medication. Mr. Robles was in a florid schizophrenic state at the time and did not know where or even who he was. Shockingly, Officer Eric Bruss and Sgt. John Gates of the Santa Fe, Texas Police Department in less than 2 seconds of contact, mistakenly assumed he was intoxicated and when Mr. Robles did not move or respond quick enough to their instructions, he was beaten and charged with assault on 2 peace officers and 2 counts of resisting arrest.
Thus began a two year ordeal of police lies, attempts to conceal evidence and the brutal beating and barbaric torture of Mr. Robles. In an effort to cover their savage beating and subsequent torture of Mr. Robles, police refused to turn over the videotapes of the incident for over 1 and-a-half years and charged him with assault on a peace officer, 2 counts.
Once the videos were finally turned over, after being ordered to do so by a district court judge or be held in contempt, the felony charges were dismissed, and the Mr. Robles was only charged with one count of resisting arrest.
Last week, after 2 and 1/2 years, Mr. Robles finally had his freedom and dignity returned to him.
The trial team of Kelly W. Case, Paul Damico and Susan Case were happy to give Mr. Robles his life and dignity back and will be requesting the District Attorney of Galveston County to look into charges of perjury for the false testimony that both officers provided during the course of the week long trial.
You can read about the story in the Galveston Daily Newspaper.
Based on the barbaric beating and subsequent savage torture of Mr. Robles while he was in police custody, a federal civil rights lawsuit has been filed and is currently pending in the Federal District Court for The Southern District of Texas.

An article appearing in the Austin American Statesman on February 1, 2009, shows that some people are catching on to what DWI defenders have been saying for years - don't take a breath or blood test. Yes, some people are listening . . . but not all. Who is the class of people that have taken this advice? Are they special or more knowledgeable in some way over those that do give a breath or blood sample?

They are your elected officials. Judges, Legislators and those charged with making it a crime to refuse, are the same one's that are refusing!

So act senatorial or judicial and refuse a breath test!