Top court to hear appeal by Enron's Skilling

Source: AP

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court will consider throwing out the convictions of former Enron Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Skilling for his role in one of the largest scandals in U.S. business history.

The court said Tuesday it will hear Skilling's appeal of lower court rulings that upheld all 19 of his 2006 convictions of conspiracy, securities fraud, insider trading and lying to auditors involving the 2001 collapse of the one-time energy giant.

Skilling, serving a 24-year prison term, is asking the court to consider whether the federal "honest services" fraud statute was applied correctly. The justices already have two other cases on their schedule dealing with the honest services law, a favorite tool of federal prosecutors in white-collar crime and public corruption cases.
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The law has been criticized as vague and unfair because the government need not prove, in some instances, that a defendant personally benefited from the alleged fraud.


Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33291862/ns/business-us_business/

one way or the other.

I sure hope he stays in jail.

It mentions the fair trial argument does not mention why.

Think Nancy Grace.

Because of what happened in Georgia, Ms. Grace has said over and over, she knows firsthand how the system favors hardened criminals over victims. It is the foundation of her judicial philosophy, her motivation in life, her casus belli.

And much of it isn’t true.

http://www.observer.com/node/51941

My prediction

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court said on Tuesday that it would hear an appeal by former Enron Corp Chief Executive Jeffrey Skilling of his 2006 felony conviction stemming from the giant energy trader's collapse.

The justices agreed to review a U.S. appeals court ruling that upheld Skilling's 19 felony convictions. Skilling's attorneys appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that prosecutors used a flawed legal theory to convict him and there had been juror bias against him.

Skilling's attorneys said prosecutors improperly relied on the "honest services" theory, under which employees are bound to provide honest services and not put their interests ahead of those of a company.

They said Skilling did not breach his honest services duty because he never was dishonest to his employer and always acted in Enron's interest.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSTRE59C33I20091013?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews&sp=true

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wow! acting in "Enron's interest" makes it all go away????

Enron Traders Caught On Tape



Skilling began advocating a novel idea: the company didn't really need any "assets." By pushing the company's aggressive investment strategy, he helped make Enron the biggest wholesaler of gas and electricity, with $27 billion traded in a quarter. On February 12, 2001, Skilling was named CEO of Enron, receiving $132 million in a single year

"You must cut costs ruthlessly by 50 to 60 percent. Depopulate. Get rid of people. They gum up the works. (Enron President Jeffrey Skilling at an electricity industry conference in Arizona, quoted in "Enron President: `People Gum Up the Works,'" The Seattle Times, April 5, 1997.)

Put an end to coddling criminals.

is that he will have the Supreme Court telling him to go to hell, and that some of the family fortune will be depleted by having his shysters make megabucks for arguing a case before the high court.