Judge vacates Ken Lay's Enron Conviction

[RobotMirror]

I NEVER thought I'd say this, but after attending a dinner with the lead prosecutor in the Enron case last week, and now reading this, I feel sorry for Ken Lay. Of course, this is too little, too late, but his conviction is overturned.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4265806.html

[Disney Wrassler]

Re: Judge vacates Ken Lay's Enron Conviction

Interesting article. However I have a feeling this will wind up in the debate lounge like most other ENRON related topics do .

[Darkbeer]

Re: Judge vacates Ken Lay's Enron Conviction

I think it is a good decision...

It was on appeal

He can't defend himself

And it would be a MAJOR waste of taxpayer dollars... what will they do, ship the coffin to prison?????

Time to let it go and move on......

[RobotMirror]

Re: Judge vacates Ken Lay's Enron Conviction

DisneyWrassler: I thought about starting this in the debate forum... but this is just an article about what happened in the news today, not about politics or religion, etc.

[RobotMirror]

Re: Judge vacates Ken Lay's Enron Conviction

I think it is a good decision...

It was on appeal

He can't defend himself

And it would be a MAJOR waste of taxpayer dollars... what will they do, ship the coffin to prison?????

Time to let it go and move on......

Well, in an appellate case (which was started 30 days after the conviction, while he was still alive), the attorneys brief and argue the case, not the client. The major "appeal", if you will, of having a decision in your favor in appellate court, even if you're dead, is that it becomes binding authority for all future courts, leaving a legal legacy of sorts.

[Disney Wrassler]

Re: Judge vacates Ken Lay's Enron Conviction

DisneyWrassler: I thought about starting this in the debate forum... but this is just an article about what happened in the news today, not about politics or religion, etc.

True .

[awesomemama]

Re: Judge vacates Ken Lay's Enron Conviction

Well, I don't have an unbiased opinion, but I think it's the right thing to do under the circumstances. the prosectors were out for blood, anyone's they could get. Frogberto, I take it you didn't have favorable opinions of the prosecutor in the case?

[RobotMirror]

Re: Judge vacates Ken Lay's Enron Conviction

...the prosectors were out for blood, anyone's they could get. Frogberto, I take it you didn't have favorable opinions of the prosecutor in the case?

Yes, you're right, and I didn't think that before. I previously thought that Kenneth Lay deserved to rot in hell for what he did to employees, especially regarding the pension funds, as well as investors. But I now see after learning about all the deals for immunity that others received, that the actions were widespread at the company, and not necessarily top down. The prosecutors specifically picked Lay and Skilling as scapegoats, because they thought they could secure a conviction based on what was in the press at the time, and also based on their extravagant lifestyles.

The prosecutor, who was from Orange County and was sent to do the trial in Texas, said that they make charts of the expensive homes and other expenses that Lay had used his money for, and then saw the jurors eyes glazing over with that information, so they quickly cut to the "Ken Lay was a bad man" evidence. The thing is, any CEO of a major company is going to be wealthy. That, by itself, is not evidence of motivation for, or of, criminal activity.

[Disney Wrassler]

Re: Judge vacates Ken Lay's Enron Conviction

The prosecutor, who was from Orange County and was sent to do the trial in Texas, said that they make charts of the expensive homes and other expenses that Lay had used his money for, and then saw the jurors eyes glazing over with that information, so they quickly cut to the "Ken Lay was a bad man" evidence. The thing is, any CEO of a major company is going to be wealthy. That, by itself, is not evidence of motivation for, or of, criminal activity.

Good Point Froggy.

A little of topic but I have noticed as of late also that if there is some sort of turmoil in companies the first person to get pointed at is the CEO, even if the CEO had nothing to do with the problem. Some people in companies do fraudulent activities behind the CEO's back. It could happen.