HOUSTON, April 15 (Reuters) - The lawyer overseeing the assets and operations of Stanford Financial Group filed a lawsuit on Wednesday to recover $40 million of commissions the firm's advisers earned selling certificates of deposit regulators claim were part of an $8 billion fraud.

Ralph Janvey, the court-appointed receiver, is seeking pay from 66 advisers who are named in the lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Dallas.

Allen Stanford, two top aides and three of his companies are accused by U.S. regulators of a massive Ponzi scheme involving high-yield certificates of deposit issued by Stanford's Antigua bank. (Reporting by Anna Driver; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)