Sir Allen Stanford, the Texan billionaire accused of an $8bn fraud, has petitioned a judge to thaw his assets so he can hire a lawyer, court documents released late on Tuesday show.

Sir Allen, the chief executive of the Stanford group of companies, had his assets frozen in February after the US Securities and Exchange Commission alleged he was operating a massive Ponzi scheme. The businessman has since been unable to retain a lawyer, a situation which he blamed on the court-appointed receiver, Ralph Janvey.

In the filings, Sir Allen asked judge David Godbey to order the release of his seized assets and money.

Dick DeGuerin, the high-profile Houston-based lawyer whose previous clients include former Senate majority leader Tom DeLay and Branch Davidian leader David Koresh, said last week he had been “engaged, but not retained” by Sir Allen. “The difference is money,” Mr DeGuerin told the Financial Times.

Sir Allen had also been briefly represented by Charles Meadows.

In the documents released on Tuesday, however, Sir Allen asked that any further filings in the case be sent to him care of JD Bucky Allshouse, a Houston-based divorce lawyer. Mr Allshouse had been representing Sir Allen in the divorce proceedings initiated last year by his wife Susan Stanford. Mr Allhouse has agreed to accept the SEC-related documents, but he is not representing Sir Allen in that case.

Sir Allen also denied any wrongdoing, and challenged the SEC’s decision to file the complaint against him and his companies in Dallas rather than Houston. “My home offices and one of my residences are in Houston, Texas,” he noted.

This entry was posted by Stacy-Marie Ishmael on Wednesday, April 1st, 2009 at 19:00 and is filed under Capital markets, People. Tagged with ralph janvey, Sir Allen Stanford. Edit this entry.