In total, 32 people and one firm had charges brought before federal courts stemming from the energy giant's fallout. See what happened to some of the biggest players in the Enron scandal. (Dave Rossman / special to the chronicle)
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Ken Lay was the chief executive officer for Enron, and like former Enron President Jeff Skilling, he became one of the focal points during the Enron trial. Lay was tried with Skilling, but Lay's conviction was thrown out after he died during sentencing. (Steve Ueckert / Houston Chronicle)
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Jeff Skilling, center, was the president of Enron, and he became one of the key figures during the criminal trial. Skilling is serving a 24-year prison term for conspiracy, securities fraud, false statements and insider trading charges. The U.S. Supreme Court said prosecutors used a legal theory improperly and returned case to lower court, which upheld the convictions. His sentence may be reduced due to earlier ruling that a Houston judge erred in applying sentencing guidelines. (DAVID J. PHILLIP / AP)
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Former Enron chief financial officer Andrew Fastow pleaded guilty to two conspiracy counts and testified against CEO Ken Lay and President Jeff Skilling. He is finishing a 6-year sentence that ends Dec. 17 at his Houston home. He works as document review clerk for a Houston law firm. (Brett Coomer / Getty Images)
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Lea Fastow was the assistant treasurer and CFO Andrew Fastow's wife. She pleaded guilty to lying on her tax return and served a 1-year sentence. She now runs an art consulting firm under her maiden name, Lea Weingarten. (MELISSA PHILLIP / HOUSTON CHRONICLE)
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Richard Causey (left) was the former Enron chief accounting officer. He pleaded guilty to securities fraud, and he completed the final weeks of 5-year, 6-month sentence this year at his Houston home. He is listed on LinkedIn as an "independent accounting professional." (James Nielsen / Houston Chronicle)
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Michael Kopper was the managing director of Enron Global Finance under former CFO Andrew Fastow. He was the first Enron executive to enter a plea bargain and served less than two-thirds of a 37-month sentence. He was released January 2009, and he is now chief strategy officer for Legacy Community Health Services. (AP)
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Ben Glisan, on the right, was the treasurer for Enron before the company filed for bankruptcy and faced various criminal charges. Glisan pleaded guilty to conspiracy. He served two-thirds of his 5-year sentence. He now heads his own financial advisory firm, Pinyon Advisors. (PAT LOPEZ / AP)
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Mark Koenig was the head of investor relations for Enron. He pleaded guilty to securities fraud and served an 18-month sentence and is now retired. (Steve Ueckert / Houston Chronicle)
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Former Enron investor relations executive Paula Rieker (left) pleaded guilty to insider trading. She served 2 years on probation. (James Nielsen / Houston Chronicle)
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Lawrence "Larry" Lawyer, on the right, was Enron's vice president of global markets. He pleaded guilty to failing to report income and served 2 years probation. Currently, he heads Houston-based Triton Investment Group, an energy investment and professional services company. (Steve Ueckert / Houston Chronicle)
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David Delainey was the former CEO of both Enron's troubled retail division and its profit-generating North American trading unit. He pleaded guilty to insider trading and served a 9-month prison term. (Steve Ueckert / Houston Chronicle)
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Timothy DeSpain, a former assistant treasurer at Enron Corp., was sentenced to 4 years probation and a $10,000 fine for lying to credit-rating agencies to make the financial picture at the one-time energy giant appear healthier than it was. He is now the president of GTL Logisitcs, a firm planning to build a hub in Port Arthur to transport oil from shale projects between refineries and chemical plants. (DAVID J. PHILLIP / AP)
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David Duncan, on the left, was an Arthur Anderson auditor. He withdrew his guilty plea after the Supreme Court reversed firm's conviction. He settled the Securities and Exchange Commission's complaint of securities laws violations, and he is now vice president and chief financial officer of Houston-based U.S. Pipeline. (MICHAEL STRAVATO / AP)
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John Forney was a former corporate executive with Enron. He pleaded guilty to illegally manipulating California's electricity prices from the company's Portland office. He served 2 years probation. (PAUL SAKUMA / AP)
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Joe Hirko, the former head of Enron's Broadband business, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 16 months on charges that he overstating performance of the broadband division. He served a 16-month sentence and is listed on LinkedIn as running a party supply business. (Mayra Beltran / Houston Chronicle)
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Kenneth Rice, former chief of Enron Corp.'s high-speed Internet unit, was sentenced to 27 months in prison for securities fraud. He served the sentence and he now works in investments. (PAT SULLIVAN / AP)
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Rex Shelby, center in handcuffs, was the vice president of engineering operations at Enron Broadband. He was one of the last of the Enron employees to be sentenced and pleaded guilty to one count of insider trading and was sentenced to 2 years probation. He is now working in the high-tech industry with pre-Enron colleagues. (Carlos Antonio Rios / Houston Chronicle)
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Appeals court dismissed broadband charges against Scott Yeager, a former Enron Broadband executive, after the case went to U.S. Supreme Court. Yeager says he's semi-retired. He runs a small ranch and works with small technology companies on sales and product development. (Julio Cortez / Houston Chronicle)
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Kevin Hannon was the chief operating officer for Enron Broadband. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the Broadband case. He served a 2-year sentence. After serving his sentence, he founded and is now president of Clarity Risk Management Services. (Buster Dean / Houston Chronicle)
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Kevin Howard, left, is the former chief financial officer of Enron's Broadband unit. He pleaded guilty to one count of falsifying records in the Broadband case. He served a 1-year probation. He is now vice president and general manager at Kinder Morgan Natural Gas Pipelines. (PAT SULLIVAN / AP)
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Michael Krautz, a former accounting director for Enron Broadband Services, was found not guilty during the Enron Broadband case. (Steve Ueckert / Houston Chronicle)
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Former Merrill Lynch banker William Fuhs, right, was found guilty of one conspiracy count and two counts of wire fraud. However, his conviction was thrown out on appeal. (TIM JOHNSON / FOR THE CHRONICLE)
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Former Merrill Lynch executive James A. Brown was convicted of wire fraud and conspiracy in a sham sale of some Nigerian power-plant barges charges. Some of the charges against Brown were thrown out on appeal, and he served 47 months on remaining charges. (BRETT COOMER / HOUSTON CHRONICLE)
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Robert Furst, left, was the former managing director of Merrill Lynch. He was tried in the Nigerian barge case, but his conviction thrown out on appeal. (DENNIS COOK / AP)
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Former Merrill Lynch executive Daniel Bayly was sentenced to 30 months in prison for his participation in Enron's sale of power barges to the brokerage. His conviction was thrown out on appeal. (MICHAEL STRAVATO / AP)
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Former Enron executive Dan Boyle, right, was convicted in the Nigerian barge case. He did not appeal and served a 3-year, 10-month sentence. (DAVID J. PHILLIP / AP)
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Sheila Kahanek (left) was the former Enron accountant. She was tried in the Nigerian barge case, but she was acquitted. (James Nielsen / Special to the Chronicle)
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British former bankers (from left to right) Gary Mulgrew, Giles Darby, and David Bermingham pleaded guilty to misleading their former employer in an Andrew Fastow finance scheme. They each were sentenced to 3 years, 1 month. They are now out of prison and are self-employed. (STEPHEN HIRD / REUTERS)
Prosecutors brought various criminal charges against about three dozen executives and employees of Enron and firms that did business with it, and the accounting firm that audited its books.
Ken Lay, CEO – Tried with former Enron President Jeff Skilling; conviction thrown out because Lay died before sentencing.
Jeff Skilling, president – Serving 24-year sentence; Supreme Court said prosecutors used a legal theory improperly and returned case to lower court, which upheld the convictions; sentence may be reduced due to earlier ruling that a Houston judge erred in applying sentencing guidelines.
Andrew Fastow, chief financial officer – Pleaded guilty to two conspiracy counts; testified against Lay and Skilling; finishing 6-year sentence that ends Dec. 17 at his Houston home; working as document review clerk for Houston law firm.
Lea Fastow, assistant treasurer, Andrew Fastow‘s wife – Pleaded guilty to lying on tax return; served 1-year sentence; runs an art consulting firm under her maiden name, Lea Weingarten.
Richard Causey, chief accounting officer – Pleaded guilty to securities fraud; completed final weeks of 5-year, 6-month sentence this year at his Houston home; listed on LinkedIn as “independent accounting professional.”
Michael Kopper, finance managing director – First Enron executive to enter plea bargain; served less than two-thirds of 3-year, 1-month sentence, released January 2009; now chief strategy officer for Legacy Community Health Services.
Ben Glisan, treasurer – Pleaded guilty to conspiracy; served two-thirds of 5-year sentence; now heads his own financial advisory firm, Pinyon Advisors.
Mark E. Koenig, head of investor relations – Pleaded guilty to securities fraud; served 18-month sentence; retired.
Paula Rieker, managing director of investor relations – Pleaded guilty to insider trading; served 2 years probation.
Lawrence Lawyer, vice president, global markets – Pleaded guilty to failing to report income; served 2 years probation; heads Houston-based Triton Investment Group, an energy investment and professional services company.
David Delainey, former CEO, retail energy division – Pleaded guilty to insider trading; served 9-month prison term.
Timothy DeSpain, assistant treasurer – Pleaded guilty to conspiracy; served 4 years probation; president of GTL Logistics, a firm planning to build a hub in Port Arthur to transport oil from shale projects between refineries and chemical plants.
Arthur Andersen accounting firm, Enron independent auditor – Supreme Court reversed firm’s 2002 conviction on obstruction of justice charge because of a vague jury instruction; case wasn’t retried, but firm went out of business.
David Duncan, Arthur Andersen auditor – Withdrew a guilty plea after the Supreme Court reversed firm’s conviction; settled Securities and Exchange Commission complaint of securities laws violations; now vice president and chief financial officer of Houston-based U.S. Pipeline.
Timothy Belden, head of trading, Enron Energy Services – Pleaded guilty to manipulating California power markets; served 2 years probation; co-founded Energy GPS, an energy consulting firm.
Jeffrey Richter, trader, Enron Energy Services – Pleaded guilty to manipulating California power markets; served 2 years probation; co-founded Energy GPS.
John M. Forney, energy trader – Pleaded guilty to manipulating California power markets; served 2 years probation.
Joe Hirko, Co-CEO, Enron Broadband Services – Pleaded guilty to charge arising from overstating performance of Broadband division; served 16-month sentence; listed on LinkedIn as running a party supply business.
Ken Rice, Co-CEO, Enron Broadband – Pleaded guilty to securities fraud in Broadband case; served 27-month sentence; now works in investments.
Rex T. Shelby, vice president of engineering operations, Enron Broadband – The last of the Enron employees to be sentenced; pleaded guilty to one count of insider trading; sentenced to 2 years probation; working in high-tech industry with pre-Enron colleagues.
Scott Yeager, strategic business executive, Enron Broadband – Appeals court ordered Yeager acquitted on all charges after his case went to U.S. Supreme Court; says he’s semiretired, running a small ranch and working with small technology companies on sales and product development.
Kevin Hannon, chief operating officer, Enron Broadband – Pleaded guilty to conspiracy in Broadband case; served 2-year sentence; founder and president of Clarity Risk Management Services.
Kevin Howard, finance chief, Enron Broadband – Pleaded guilty to one count of falsifying records in Broadband case; served 1 year probation; now vice president and general manager, Kinder Morgan Natural Gas Pipelines.
Michael Krautz, in-house accountant, Enron Broadband – Tried in Broadband case; acquitted.
William Fuhs, Merrill Lynch banker – Tried in what prosecutors alleged was a scheme to inflate earnings through transactions involving power generation barges in Nigeria; conviction thrown out on appeal.
James A. Brown, Merrill Lynch banker – Convicted in Nigerian barge case; some charges thrown out on appeal; served 47 months on remaining charges.
Robert Furst, Merrill Lynch banker – Tried in Nigerian barge case; conviction thrown out on appeal.
Daniel Bayly, former head of investment banking for Enron – Tried in Nigerian barge case; conviction thrown out on appeal.
Sheila Kahanek, Enron in-house accountant – Tried in Nigerian barge case; acquitted; now managing director of Houston-based Kahanek Financial Advisory Services.
Dan Boyle, vice president, global finance group – Convicted in Nigerian barge case; did not appeal; served 3-year, 10-month sentence.
Gary Mulgrew, David Bermingham, Giles Darby – British bankers pleaded guilty to misleading their former employer in an Andrew Fastow finance scheme; sentenced to 3 years, 1 month, most served in British prison; now out of prison and self-employed.
White collar crime pays ….. as long as you know where the line is drawn and don’t get too crazy with greed.
It doesn’t hurt to be amigos with the right power politicians either.
Just have enough dirt on ‘em to force ‘em to maintain loyalty to you.
That’s the American way!
None of these SOBs should have ever gotten a job again after the royal screwing they gave their investors. What a screwed up society this once thriving country has become, murderers, thieves, drug dealers, rapist and general trash.
Good, now when are we going to go after those that caused the meltdown of the United States, George Bush and Newt Gingrich, along with numerous bankers?
Ken Lay is very likely not dead—Bush owed him and used his CIA connections got him out of the country. He is probably living well in some tropical paradise. This is one conspiracy theory that I actually believe.
Andy Fastow ruins so many lives and only gets a 7 year sentence, some of which from home????
I am not a former Enron employee or stock owner, but this is a sickening and pathetic lack of justice for someone who systematically stold so much from so many.
Some homeless addict caught with a crack pipe will get more time.
Perhaps a more interesting story would have been “Where are the now: the countless people who were royally shafted by these pigs and were left with no safety net”. Their sentences were small prices to pay in relation to the damage done, and I’d be willing to bet that most of the bigger players have stash somewhere from all they stole. Despicable, gutless and karmically doomed.
How sad–so many people lost so much and the perpetrators of this offense served so little time in jail or served their sentences at home. I honestly see no justice in these cases.
Most of these people seem to be back doing what they did before the Enron meltdown, only in different settings. At least if they had been CPA’s or attorneys their licenses to practice would have been revoked and they couldn’t have gone back to doing the same ol’, same ol’. There needs to be more accountability in business. As part of their plea bargains, these people should have been barred from engaging in business pursuits similar to what they were involved in at Enron for a period of, say, ten years. Who’s to say they won’t go back to the same kind of corporate crookedness they engaged in previously?
John Doe, it wasn’t Bush that caused the meltdown – you have to go back to the previous Clinton administration. Slick Willy wanted more minority home ownership so his administration heavily pressured banks to approve more minority loans and rubber stamp loans that never could have been paid by those borrowers. Willy required banks to make a certain minimum number of minority loans … NO MATTER WHAT. When you couple that with the deregulation of the banking/finance/insurance industry, which allowed bankers to sell mortgages in pieces, the meltdown was inevitable. Bush spoke against both of those things repeatedly – and Congress ignored him.
Enron was the tiny empire of efite arrogance. But it was NOTHING in comparison to the $$TRILLIONS being stolen through derivatives fraud and insider trading (Goldman Sachs, MF Global, etc.).
Hardly a hiccup in their lives. Now imagine all the people who ride a bike, take a bus to work, or walk…day or night in the heat, rain, or cold, just to make minimum wage to shelter and feed their family. How can anyone in their logical, right mind, even consider letting this band of thieves get by with what they did. There is no way on this earth that it was not a collaborative effort. And we wonder why America is in such a mess. Wake up people…get some morals and stand by them, because in the long run that’s all we are really about.
I wonder if Ken Lay is really lying in a grave some where and not living a glorious life outside the USA. How strange and efficient his death was.
You do have to realized that he was the biggest brain of all…you know he had an exit strategy.
Glad to see I am not alone in thinking that Ken Lay is not dead. The technology exists, and money talks when you need to disappear.
As for starting new businesses, notice all of the RISK management service cos. Who better to seek out the red flags than a crook? Remember Frank Abagnale…
Everyone still worried about what a private company was capable of pulling off…..but no one seems to care that the investigating group…Federal Governement/FBI shut them down because they were competition….TRILLIONS of our dollars TAKEN against the will of the people and the US Constitution thru threat of tax liens and siezures and jail…besides who has enough money to fight the federal government……obviously it wasn’t Enron.
Yes keep deleting this info but it will never go away and this post shows a previous post a complete lie but the other post stays?. Clinton is no saint but to declare that Clinton and poor people caused all the housing bust is completely wrong.
June 17, 2002
CNN
“President Bush touted his goal Monday of boosting minority home ownership by 5.5 million before the end of the decade through grants to low-income families and credits to developers.
…
He urged Congress to expand the American Dream Down-Payment Fund, which would provide $200 million in grants over five years to low-income families who are first-time home buyers.
The money would be used for down payments, one of the major obstacles to home ownership, Bush said.
Good, now when are we going to go after those that caused the meltdown of the United States, Barney Frank and Chris Dodd, along with numerous bankers?
White collar crime pays ….. as long as you know where the line is drawn and don’t get too crazy with greed.
It doesn’t hurt to be amigos with the right power politicians either.
Just have enough dirt on ‘em to force ‘em to maintain loyalty to you.
That’s the American way!
hahahah! Andrew Fastow working as a lowly document review clerk for Houston law firm. The wheels of justice turn slowly but they do turn.
None of these SOBs should have ever gotten a job again after the royal screwing they gave their investors. What a screwed up society this once thriving country has become, murderers, thieves, drug dealers, rapist and general trash.
Good, now when are we going to go after those that caused the meltdown of the United States, George Bush and Newt Gingrich, along with numerous bankers?
Actually, Ken Lay was to be VP for Bush, when the more Evil, Dick Chenney stepped in and out Minion-ed him. True story.
We need Chinese justice…..most of these people would have been executed by now. Good ole USA justice is the biggest joke in the world.
Ken Lay is very likely not dead—Bush owed him and used his CIA connections got him out of the country. He is probably living well in some tropical paradise. This is one conspiracy theory that I actually believe.
Andy Fastow ruins so many lives and only gets a 7 year sentence, some of which from home????
I am not a former Enron employee or stock owner, but this is a sickening and pathetic lack of justice for someone who systematically stold so much from so many.
Some homeless addict caught with a crack pipe will get more time.
I took a picture of Fastow waiting in the checkout line at the Galleria Costco over a month ago.
Perhaps a more interesting story would have been “Where are the now: the countless people who were royally shafted by these pigs and were left with no safety net”. Their sentences were small prices to pay in relation to the damage done, and I’d be willing to bet that most of the bigger players have stash somewhere from all they stole. Despicable, gutless and karmically doomed.
Ken Lay is not dead. That sob
How sad–so many people lost so much and the perpetrators of this offense served so little time in jail or served their sentences at home. I honestly see no justice in these cases.
They should all do the honorable thing and commit Hari Kari.
Most of these people seem to be back doing what they did before the Enron meltdown, only in different settings. At least if they had been CPA’s or attorneys their licenses to practice would have been revoked and they couldn’t have gone back to doing the same ol’, same ol’. There needs to be more accountability in business. As part of their plea bargains, these people should have been barred from engaging in business pursuits similar to what they were involved in at Enron for a period of, say, ten years. Who’s to say they won’t go back to the same kind of corporate crookedness they engaged in previously?
AIG executives and middle management should have been treated much in the same manner …
John Doe, it wasn’t Bush that caused the meltdown – you have to go back to the previous Clinton administration. Slick Willy wanted more minority home ownership so his administration heavily pressured banks to approve more minority loans and rubber stamp loans that never could have been paid by those borrowers. Willy required banks to make a certain minimum number of minority loans … NO MATTER WHAT. When you couple that with the deregulation of the banking/finance/insurance industry, which allowed bankers to sell mortgages in pieces, the meltdown was inevitable. Bush spoke against both of those things repeatedly – and Congress ignored him.
Enron was the tiny empire of efite arrogance. But it was NOTHING in comparison to the $$TRILLIONS being stolen through derivatives fraud and insider trading (Goldman Sachs, MF Global, etc.).
I saw Fastow in the downtown tunnels about 2 months ago.
Hardly a hiccup in their lives. Now imagine all the people who ride a bike, take a bus to work, or walk…day or night in the heat, rain, or cold, just to make minimum wage to shelter and feed their family. How can anyone in their logical, right mind, even consider letting this band of thieves get by with what they did. There is no way on this earth that it was not a collaborative effort. And we wonder why America is in such a mess. Wake up people…get some morals and stand by them, because in the long run that’s all we are really about.
I wonder if Ken Lay is really lying in a grave some where and not living a glorious life outside the USA. How strange and efficient his death was.
You do have to realized that he was the biggest brain of all…you know he had an exit strategy.
Ken Lay didn’t die. His body “was cremated” so it couldn’t be exhummed later, which would prove the body isn’t really his….
Glad to see I am not alone in thinking that Ken Lay is not dead. The technology exists, and money talks when you need to disappear.
As for starting new businesses, notice all of the RISK management service cos. Who better to seek out the red flags than a crook? Remember Frank Abagnale…
Everyone still worried about what a private company was capable of pulling off…..but no one seems to care that the investigating group…Federal Governement/FBI shut them down because they were competition….TRILLIONS of our dollars TAKEN against the will of the people and the US Constitution thru threat of tax liens and siezures and jail…besides who has enough money to fight the federal government……obviously it wasn’t Enron.
Yes keep deleting this info but it will never go away and this post shows a previous post a complete lie but the other post stays?. Clinton is no saint but to declare that Clinton and poor people caused all the housing bust is completely wrong.
June 17, 2002
CNN
“President Bush touted his goal Monday of boosting minority home ownership by 5.5 million before the end of the decade through grants to low-income families and credits to developers.
…
He urged Congress to expand the American Dream Down-Payment Fund, which would provide $200 million in grants over five years to low-income families who are first-time home buyers.
The money would be used for down payments, one of the major obstacles to home ownership, Bush said.
…
“