Newport Beach : Man on Trial in Fraud Case Collapses in Court
Lee Shrout, a Newport Beach businessman on trial for securities fraud, collapsed in the Los Angeles federal courthouse Tuesday morning, apparently suffering a mild heart attack.
Shrout, 51, president of Newport Beach-based Abex Ltd., arrived at the courthouse around 9 a.m. to begin the fifth day of his trial on charges of security and mail fraud.
He was taken by paramedics to White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he remains under observation, according to Carl Douglas, his court-appointed attorney.
“It was kind of scary,” said Douglas. “He came in looking pale and dizzy, complaining of a tightness in his chest.”
Douglas said he was helping Shrout walk to the courthouse infirmary when Shrout collapsed.
Judge Laughlin Waters scheduled a status conference for Thursday morning to decide if and when Shrout’s trial could resume, according to Chief Assistant U.S. Atty. Richard Drooyan.
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