Former ERCOT officials indicted

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D87T98R81.html

Former top officials with the organization that runs Texas' electricity grid created bogus companies that charged hundreds of thousands of dollars for fake work done by nonexistent or even dead employees, according to indictments announced Friday.

The 23 indictments against five former officials and one contractor at the Electric Reliability Council of Texas allege organized criminal activity, commercial bribery and theft by receiving stolen property.

Most of the charges are first-degree felonies with punishment ranging from five to 99 years in prison, said Attorney General Greg Abbott, who announced the indictments after a five-month investigation.

"The maze of illicit business dealings going on within ERCOT over a year's time is simply stunning," Abbott said in a statement. "This is not about electricity. It's about corruption at top levels of ERCOT and flagrant violations of an agreed-upon ethics policy."

All these crooks need to be handcuffed.