By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com
WASHINGTON — As if we haven’t gotten beaten down enough financially by the crippling economy. We’ve got two princes to help us out: Madoff and  Stanford.

The FBI issued a press release Monday asking for help in putting one of those princes away. The second one is already well on his way to prison.

“Have you invested in the Stanford Financial Group or its affiliated companies in recent years? If so, you may be a victim of a multi-billion dollar investment fraud,” the press release asked.

The release goes on to say that “the Stanford Financial Group, which provides wealth management services to customers in some 140 countries, is under FBI investigation.”

It  mentions that Allen Stanford, chief investment officer, was charged Feb. 26 with obstructing a separate investigation involving the Security and Exchange Commission.

The FBI press release then asks for information from anyone who suspects they’ve been swindled.

The press release says the FBI needs:
* Your basic contact information (name, address, country, telephone numbers, e-mail address);
* Your investments/losses with Stanford Financial Group or its affiliated companies: Stanford Capital Management, the Stanford Group Company, the Stanford International Bank, the Stanford Trust Company, and the Bank of Antigua;
* Whether or not you can verify your investments/losses by providing your most recent financial statements; and
* Any additional information that may be helpful.