In his first interview since being indicted in 2009 for masterminding the second-largest Ponzi scheme in history, Allen Stanford - currently serving a 110-year prison term - tells BBC sports editor Dan Roan he did exploit cricket through his 'Stanford Super Series' to grow his own brand.
Stanford the convicted US fraudster who funded the Stanford Twenty20 Tournament which saw Bermuda take part say’s "I didn't do anything wrong" said the 65-year-old Texan, speaking from a maximum security penitentiary in Florida. "Will I apologize? No. Mark my words... I am going to walk out the doors of this place a free man."
Stanford says his life behind bars is "hell". He describes being assaulted by fellow inmates in 2009, saying the treatment he received by the authorities after the attack was "barbaric".
Stanford's lack of contrition is sure to anger the victims of his fraud, thousands of whom have little hope of ever recovering the money they lost in his $7bn (£5bn) scam.
The former Houston banker was handed a 110-year sentence in March 2012 on fraud, conspiracy and obstruction charges after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) shut down his global empire.
'Arrogant and without remorse'
Prosecutors said the former billionaire had run a massive, two-decade scam centered on the sale of certificates of deposit. They alleged he was a swindler, misusing the money of thousands of clients to fund risky investments and an opulent lifestyle, including the sponsorship of cricket tournaments.
Once considered one of the richest men in the world, Stanford has always insisted he is is not a conman, blaming the federal government, the SEC and a court-appointed receiver for tearing down his business empire and preventing investors from getting their money back. In October an appeals court rejected his bid to overturn his conviction but Stanford has now filed for a rehearing.
"I am going to win this" he said. "And I'm going to win for the people who were harmed also."
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