As he faces the largest tax fraud case in American history, attorneys for Robert Brockman sought for more than a year to prevent their client from standing trial, arguing that the 80-year-old billionaire was suffering from serious cognitive decline. Following an eight-day hearing and endless court briefings, on Monday District Judge George Hanks shot down that argument. “Based on recent neuroimaging, Brockman has Parkinson’s Disease, may have Alzheimer’s Disease, and it cannot be reasonably disputed that he is suffering from some degree of age-related cognitive decline,” he wrote in the 42-page opinion. However, the judge added, “Brockman’s performance on validity tests—some of them administered by his own neuropsychological expert—indicates that he continues to exaggerate impairment.”
