Sport's Strangest Crimes: Allen Stanford - The Man Who Bought Cricket

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Sport's Strangest Crimes

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Money, sex, glamour, politics, violence - the stories behind sport's strangest crimes.

Sport's Strangest Crimes: Allen Stanford - The Man Who Bought Cricket: EP1: Lord's / EP2: The Wild West

EP1: Lord's / EP2: The Wild West

Allen Stanford - The Man Who Bought Cricket

BBC Radio 5 Live - Sport's Strangest Crimes, Allen Stanford - The Man Who Bought Cricket, EP1: Lord's / EP2: The Wild West

Lord's 2008, Allen arrives by helicopter with $20 million and a plan to change cricket.

Lord's 2008, Allen arrives by helicopter with $20 million and a plan to change cricket. And we go back to how Allen came to Lord's via the West Indies.

Episode 1: Lord's

Lord's 2008. The most sacred ground in cricket had never witnessed anything like it. Across the London skyline a helicopter appeared and slowly descended onto the hallowed turf. From within emerged a tall, brash Texan who was greeted by the great and the good of cricket. With him was a box of money, and not just a few quid....$20 million. The man was Allen Stanford and he had an audacious plan to revolutionise the game of cricket. One match for $20 million - winner takes all, the loser gets nothing. But who exactly was Allen Stanford, why was he willing to splash out $20 million and why was he being entertained by the English cricketing authorities? 

Meanwhile thousands of miles away in the USA, unbeknown to those gathered at Lord's, a file with Allen Stanford's name was passed to the FBI.

Episode 2: The Wild West

England's men's cricketers are preparing for a match that could change their lives forever. A one-off game that could net them $1 million each with one run, wicket or catch. It's a unique and extraordinary sporting prospect bankrolled by Allen Stanford. But how? Wasn't he just a washed up business failure from Texas?

After the collapse of his gym business Allen is declared bankrupt. However a chance meeting with a mysterious European traveller in the Caribbean reveals a surprising new business venture in offshore banking on the island of Montserrat - a place known as the 'Wild West of Banking'. However the activities of Stanford's business dealings soon alert the attention of both the FBI and Scotland Yard, with both having suspicions that is all is not above board.

Greg James sets off on his journey to tell the real story of Allen Stanford - The Man Who Bought Cricket. Hear the full series now on BBC Sounds.

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Money laundering, the FBI, drug cartels, offshore banks and of course some cricket.

Money laundering, the FBI, drug cartels, Ponzi schemes, extramarital affairs, offshore banks, and of course some cricket.

Money laundering, the FBI, drug cartels, Ponzi schemes, extramarital affairs, offshore banks, and of course some cricket. For the past 12 months, Greg James has been trying to find out who exactly is Allen Stanford.

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Sport's Strangest Crimes

Allen Stanford - The Man Who Bought Cricket

EP1: Lord's / EP2: The Wild West

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