A former Enron human resources executive who stole nearly $3 million from the company years after it went bankrupt lost sight of the seriousness of his actions in an atmosphere of "lions feasting on a zebra," according to a court document read at his sentencing hearing Thursday.
Christian Deeb Rahaim, 38, will serve five years and three months in prison for wire fraud, U.S. District Judge David Hittner ruled.
The prison term exceeds those of most former Enron executives who admitted to fraud or other crimes committed before Enron failed in December 2001.
But Hittner declined to impose lesser punishment than that recommended by advisory federal sentencing guidelines, highlighting Rahaim's sophistication in creating a scheme to funnel millions to himself through sham companies he created.
The scam ended in November 2005 when Enron found out about it and fired Rahaim from his job as senior director of benefits.
"I say this defendant has sophistication — plenty of it," the judge said, noting Rahaim's MBA and law degrees.
'Not my normal behavior'
"I made a mistake, and that's something I have to live with."
Hittner also read a portion of a sealed memorandum filed by Rahaim's lawyer seeking to explain his actions.
"The culture at postbankruptcy Enron began to deteriorate from the entitled, overachieving, 'smartest guys in the room' mentality to what Mr. Rahaim describes as 'lions feasting on a zebra,' " Hittner read from the document.
"The employees knew that the new board members were paying themselves millions of dollars. In this atmosphere, Mr. Rahaim was unable to conceive the magnitude of his crime. It seemed like a very small amount of money during this period."
$420,000 or less
Prosecutors seized $2.8 million in Rahaim's ill-gotten gains, including a $550,000 home that the government has since sold. Hittner ordered him to repay nearly $300,000 the government couldn't recover.
Rahaim is the only former Enron executive to plead guilty to a crime committed after the company failed.
Last October, he admitted to wire fraud for hatching the scheme in February 2005.
According to his plea agreement, Rahaim obtained approval from an unknowing supervisor to hire an outside consultant to help untangle annuity conversions related to Enron's retirement benefit obligations to several insurance companies. The plea agreement said Rahaim was the disguised consultant and arranged for Enron to pay the fake companies.
He then put the money in various bank accounts and bought the house.
At the high end
Former finance chief Andrew Fastow, who engineered much of the fraud, is serving six years. Former accounting chief Richard Causey is serving 5.5 years, three months more than Rahaim.
Others will be free sooner. Michael Kopper, Fastow's former top lieutenant who admitted to stealing more than $10 million and helping funnel kickbacks to his ex-boss, is serving three years and a month. Former trading division head David Delainey, who gave the government more than $4 million he gained by insider trading, is serving 2.5 years.
And former investor relations chief Mark Koenig is serving 18 months for lying to investors about how some Enron divisions made money. The severest Enron punishment is that of former CEO Jeff Skilling, who is serving 24 years in prison after being convicted of 19 criminal counts by a jury last year.
Mark Bennett, Rahaim's lawyer, said after the hearing that he considered Rahaim's sentence to be excessive, but that his client would serve it and move on.
"Once he's through this, he'll be able to make a living," Bennett said.
Earned MBA from Harvard and went to work for McKinsey & Co., world's largest management consulting firm... Joined Enron in 1990, drove it from a lumbering pipeline company into something akin to a Wall Street trading house ... Became president and chief operating officer in 1997 ... Named CEO in February 2001, resigned just six months later.
Legal status: Sentenced to prison for 24 years and 4 months. Appealing the conviction. Found guilty May 25, 2006, of 19 of the 28 counts accusing him of insider trading, securities fraud and conspiracy.
Richard Causey
After getting master's degree in accounting from UT, joined Arthur Andersen, rising to senior manager ... Went to Enron in 1991, rose to chief accounting officer ... Fired in February 2002 ... Has told investigators he beli
eves Skilling approved the restructuring of partnerships that prevented reporting a $500 million loss.
Legal status: Pleaded guilty to securities fraud Dec. 28, 2005, in a plea deal that called for a sentence of seven years in prison that could be reduced to five years if he cooperates "fully" with the government. Sentenced Nov. 15, 2006, to a prison term of five years, six months, and a $25,000 fine in addition to the $1.25 million he agreed to forfeit when he pleaded guilty. Full story
Earned MBA from Northwestern ... Joined Enron in 1990 ... A protege of Skilling, who named him chief financial officer ... Lauded by CFO Magazine for "innovative financing techniques" ... Set up off-the-books partnerships that benefited Enro
n by hiding debt and inflating revenue ... Dismissed Oct. 24, 2001.
Legal status: Facing 98 counts, Fastow pleaded guilty in January 2004 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire and securities. At his Sept. 26 sentencing, he received six years in prison, surprising legal experts and others who expected the mastermind of Enron’s financial schemes to get the full 10 years agreed to in his plea deal. But with no dissenting opinion from prosecutors, U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt said Fastow deserved mercy and handed down the lesser sentence. Before the sentencing, lawyers praised Fastow's cooperation in helping the government build criminal cases against former Chairman Ken Lay and former CEO Jeff Skilling. Full story.
Comes from prominent Weingarten family, which once owned area's dominant supermarkets... Met husband, Andrew, at Tufts University outside Boston, graduating with him in 1984, working with him at Continental Bank in Chicago and earning MBA with him at Northwestern University... Rose to become assistant treasurer at Enron -- she served as executive assistant of one of Enron's dubious off-the-book partnerships -- but left in 1997 to care for her sons.Legal status: Pleaded guilty to one tax misdemeanor for not reporting personal income from an Enron side deal on her 2000 return. Sentenced to one year and prison and one year of supervision after her release. Began serving sentence in July 2004. Released to halfway house in June 2005 and sent home in July 2005. She plans to attend nursing school. Full story.
Michael Kopper
Legal status: Admitted giving kickbacks to Fastow and pleaded guilty to money laundering and conspiracy in August 2002. Sentenced Nov. 11, 2006, to 3-year, 1-month prison term. Full story.
Clear Lake native, earned bachelor's and master's degrees from UT ... Worked for Coopers & Lybrand accounting firm in Dallas and Arthur Andersen in Houston before joining Enron in 1996 ... Rose to treasurer in 2000 ... Earned $1 million on $5,800 investment in one partnership ... Fired in February 2002.Legal status: Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and security fraud in September 2003 but did not agree to cooperate with prosecutors and went straight to prison for the five-year maximum. He later began helping prosecutors and testified in two trials — including Skilling's. His prison term was reduced only through means available to all inmates — credit for good behavior and completion of an alcohol abuse treatment program. Glisan was released from prison in September to serve his last few months confined at home. He forfeited $900,000 seized by government, plus $412,000 in taxes he paid on the money. Full story.
Timothy Despain
Assistant treasurer at Enron from January 1999 to May 2002. Accused of regularly lying to credit agencies to falsely bolster Enron's rating. He admitted that at the behest of the treasurers of Enron, he and others frequently misrepresented cash flow.
Legal status: Pleaded guilty in October 2004 to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and agreed to cooperate with Enron prosecutors. Sentenced to four years' probation. Full story.
Paula Rieker
Former director of investor relations, secretary to its board of directors, trustee for employee retirement plan... Accused of selling Enron stock before the public knew about big losses from Enron's Internet business, failing to protect Enron workers' retirement fund and helping disseminate bad information to analysts and the public.Legal status: Pleaded guilty to insider trading in May 2004 and agreed to testify for Enron prosecutors in other cases. Received two years' probation. Full story.
Clear Lake resident. Former vice president at Enron's Global Finance group. Enron's point person in Nigerian barge deal.Accused of arranging the "parking" of Enron's interest in three floating power plants off Nigeria's coast that Enron had been unable to sell. Prosecutors say he persuaded Merrill Lynch to help Enron appear to meet its projected profits by temporarily buying Enron's stake in the barges. In exchange, they say, Enron secretly promised Merrill Lynch it would repurchase the barge holdings at a profit. He's accused of lying to a congressional investigator by saying he knew of no such promise.
Legal status: Found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to falsify books, records and accounts. Also convicted of lying to a congressional investigator. Sentenced in May 2005 to 3 years, 10 months in prison and ordered to pay $320,000 in fines. Full story.
Houston native with degree from the University of Houston. Worked at accounting giant Ernst & Young before joining Enron in 1998. At Enron, worked as accountant and senior director of Enron Asia's Pacific/Africa/China division.
James A. Brown
Former head of Merrill Lynch's Strategic Asset Lease and Finance Group. Accused of participating in Merrill Lynch's "sham" purchase of power plant barges that were dragging down Enron's bottom line. Prosecutors say he lied he told grand jury he was "not aware" of a promise that Enron's Andrew Fastow secretly made to Merrill Lynch's Daniel Bayly that Enron would repurchase barges from Merrill Lynch at a profit.
An e-mail from Brown cited the barge deal, saying, "we had Fastow get on the phone with Bayly and lawyers and promise to pay us back no matter what. Deal was approved and all went well." Allegedly jotted in his notes: "Reputational risk i.e. aid/abet Enron income stmt manipulation."
Legal status: Found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to falsify books, records and accounts. Also convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice. Appeals court throws out as flawed all convictions except those for conviction of perjury and obstruction of justice. Full story.
Mark Koenig
Kingwood resident. Former head of Enron's investor relations section. He joined Enron in 1985 as a corporate treasurer. In 1992, he was transferred to the investor relations department, where he worked his way up to director . . . Accused of deceiving the investing public about the value of Enron stock in earning releases and scripts for conference calls with analysts.Legal status: Pleaded guilty in August 2004 to aiding and abetting securities fraud. Sentenced Nov. 17, 2006, to to 18 months in prison followed by probation for two years and a $50,000 fine. Full story.
Daniel Bayly
Global head of the investment banking division at Merrill Lynch from 1999 until 2001, when he retired.
Accused of participating in a conference call with Enron's Andrew Fastow to secure unwritten assurances that if Merrill Lynch were to buy Enron's interest in some Nigerian power-plant barges so that Enron could post record earnings, Enron would in turn guarantee Merrill Lynch a profit when Enron bought back the investment in six months or found another buyer.
Legal status: Found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and falsify books and records. On appeal, conviction thrown out as flawed. Full story.
William Fuhs
Denver resident. Former vice president of Merrill Lynch supervised by accused co-conspirator James Brown.
Accused of coordinating the closing of Merrill Lynch's agreement to take over Enron's holdings in barges off the coast of Nigeria just long enough for Enron to record a profit from their sale and meet earnings projections. Fuhs also is accused of lying to investigators, saying he was unaware of Enron's secret promise that Merrill Lynch would see a profit when it sold off its interest in the Nigeria barges within six months.
Legal status: Found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to falsify books, records and accounts. On appeal, conviction thrown out as flawed. Full story.
Robert Furst
Dallas resident. Managing director of Merrill Lynch who was the Enron relationship manager in 1999 and 2000, before resigning in 2001.
Prosecutors say he had a summary drawn up of the proposal for Merrill Lynch to temporarily buy Enron's interest in floating power plants in order to help Enron look financially stronger than it was. That summary included plans to secure confirmation in a conference call that Enron would guarantee Enron or another buyer would repurchase the investment within six months and give Merrill Lynch a 22 percent return. When the six months were up, prosecutors say, Furst and others had a letter written demanding that Enron pay up.
Canadian citizen, former chairman and CEO of Enron Energy Services, the retail contracting business arm of the company. ...Accused of participating in wide-ranging schemes to deceive the public about the true nature of Enron's profitability, he left in March 2002.
Legal status: Pleaded guilty to one count of insider trading in October 2003 and agreed to cooperate in the government's Enron investigations. Must pay the government $4.2 million as part of his plea bargain, plus hand over $3.7 million as part of a deal with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Agreed not to serve as an officer or director of any traded company. Sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison. Full story.
Legal status: Pleaded guilty in October 2002 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with manipulating energy prices in California. He agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and is awaiting sentencing. Full story.
Head of Enron 's western "real-time" power trading operations in Portland, Ore., from June 1999 until the end of 2000 . . . Accused of creating illegal trading trading schemes to manipulate energy prices that exacerbated a severe energy shortage in California during the winter of 2000-2001. Prosecutors say that in one scheme known as "Forney 's Perpetual Loop," traders would send fictitious megawatts across the grid, then accept payment from California's grid operators to relieve the artificial congestion they created on the lines.
Legal status: Awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty in August 2004 to charges he manipulated energy markets during California's power crisis. He had been indicted on 11 counts of conspiracy and wire fraud. Full story.
Former Enron vice president in charge of the West Power Origination Group of Enron North America. Negotiated the sale of a project called Coyote Springs II involving an interest in a power plant. He's admitted to using that deal to help Enron record profits that hadn't yet been earned. He lives in Westport, Conn.
Legal status: Awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty in July 2005 to one charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and agreeing to cooperate with government prosecutors. Faces a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Full story.
Jeffrey Richter
Former head of Enron's California short-term energy-trading . . . Participant in Load Shift scheme, where Enron traders created the false appearance of congestion on a transmission line to trigger payments . . . In Get Shorty scheme, Enron traders sold fictitious emergency backup power it didn't have at a high price in the "day-ahead" California energy market. Enron traders would then collect the money, cancel the contracts and cover the commitment by purchasing lower services in the "hour-ahead" market and profit from the difference.
Legal status: Pleaded guilty in February 2003 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and making a false statement to federal investigators during their probe of fraudulent market practices in California. He is awaiting sentencing. Full story.
A relatively low-level employee at Enron, holding a variety of positions between 1996 and 2001 before being laid off in December along with more than 4,500 colleagues ... In 1997, while he was an employee of Enron Capital Management, Lawyer helped Michael Kopper create the RADR partnership, which prosecutors say was devised "to secretly to enrich" Enron executives through the sale of Enron's interest in wind farms.Legal status: Pleaded guilty in November 2002 to filing a false tax return that did not report money he received from work on the questionable Enron partnership. Sentenced June 26, 2006, to two years' probation. Full story.
Ken Rice
Former co-chief executive officer of Enron Broadband Services. Houston resident.
Star witness for the prosecution in the trial of ex-executives from Enron's Internet division. He testified he and some of the defendants systematically lied to investors and the public about the value and capabilities of the business and made millions on stock sales when the share price subsequently rose.
Joe Hirko
A former chief financial officer for Portland Gas and Electric, he helped negotiate Enron's purchase of the utility in 1997 and went on to become co-chief executive officer of Enron Broadband Services. Resident of Portland, Ore.
The biggest fish from Enron's Internet business to stand trial, Hirko was accused of lying in news releases and to stock analysts about the capabilities of the company's networking technology so that he could run up the value of the stock and then cash in. Hirko testified he knew finances but not the technology side of the business and truly believed Enron was going to "fix the Internet." Video from a conference with Wall Street analysts was shown at his trial: "Is this a pipe dream?" Hirko said in the video. "No, this is something that exists today."
Legal status: Trial ended in July 2005 with acquittal of some insider trading and money laundering charges. Mistrial declared on remaining charges, which include conspiracy, securities fraud and wire fraud. Scheduled for a new trial in September 2006.
Kevin Hannon
Former chief operating officer of Enron Broadband Services. Houston resident.
Prosecutors say that over a two-year period, executives in Enron's broadband division systematically lied to investors and the public about the value and capabilities of the business, including its deal with Blockbuster Video, and made millions on stock sales when the share price subsequently rose. The government wants to seize bank accounts, cars and other property from the division's former executives.
Legal status: Originally indicted on charges of conspiracy, money laundering and insider trading. Pleaded guilty in August 2004 to one count of conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud. Full story.
Former senior vice president of business development for Enron Broadband Services. Sugar Land resident.
A business strategist for Enron's Internet division, prosecutors at his trial painted Yeager as the "idea man" who created plans the company never saw through. He was accused of lying about the technological capabilities of the company's network to bolster the stock price and then cash in by selling his own shares. Yeager's attorneys said he had nothing to do with press releases that the government claims were false and made no presentations at a 2000 analysts conference that prosecutors said was deceptive.
Legal status: Trial ended in July 2005 with acquittal on all fraud and conspiracy charges. Mistrial declared on remaining charges of insider trading and money laundering. Scheduled for a new trial in June 2006.
Rex Shelby
Former senior vice president of engineering and operations for Enron Broadband Services. Houston resident.
A software creator, Shelby was portrayed by prosecutors in his trial as the "technology man" for Enron's Internet division, bringing in the software the government claims never really controlled the company's network and never really created the revolutionary business he and others touted. He was accused of lying about the network's technological capabilities to shore up the stock price. Shelby said a video showing him hyping the network was actually a blueprint for the network's future, not a rundown of what had been already achieved, and he assumed the video would be shown with a timeline making that clear.
Legal status: Trial ended in July 2005 with acquittal of some insider trading charges. Mistrial declared on remaining charges, which include conspiracy, securities fraud and wire fraud, and money laundering. Scheduled for a new trial in September 2006.
Kevin Howard
Former chief financial officer for Enron Broadband Services. Houston resident.
Accused of scheming to make it look like Enron had sold the future profits from a venture it was developing with Blockbuster Video to provide in-home movies over the Internet. Prosecutors say the "sale" was nothing more than a disguised loan -- which should have gone down on the books as a liability for Enron rather income -- because Enron had secretly guaranteed its investors they wouldn't lose any money. Howard says no such guarantees were ever made.
Legal status: First trial ended with deadlocked jury. In his second trial, found guilty of conspiracy, fraud and falsifying records; convictions later reversed by the trial judge. Government has yet to say whether they will try him a third time. A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 20. Full story.
Michael Krautz
Former senior accounting director for Enron Broadband Services. Houston resident who grew up in Nederland and attended Lamar University.
Accused of helping fake the sale of future profits from a project that Enron was developing with Blockbuster Video to send movies into customers' homes over the Internet. Prosecutors at his trial said the sale was a sham that should have been recorded as a loan instead of income because Enron Broadband Services made an oral guarantee that the buyer wouldn't lose money. Characterizing Krautz as "the compliance man," prosecutors said Krautz made sure the oral side deal that made the case a fraud was never revealed to auditors. Krautz testified no improper guarantees were made.
Legal status: Acquitted of all charges of conspiracy, fraud and money laundering in May 2006, making him only the second ex-Enron employee to be found not guilty by a jury. First trial ended in July 2005 with a jury deadlocked on all charges against him and a mistrial was declared.
Gary Mulgrew
Formerly a managing director of Greenwich NatWest, a finance division of London's National Westminster Bank, now the Royal Bank of Scotland. A Glascow native, he's the son of the Scottish Parliament's deputy speaker, Tricia Godman, and his stepfather is also a former member of Parliament.
With the help of Enron's Michael Kopper, he and two other British bankers are accused of an intricate financial scheme involving an off-the-books Enron partnership called Southampton, run by the Houston company's chief financial officer, Andrew Fastow. Prosecutors say the trio bilked their employer out of more than $7 million.
Legal status: Indicted on seven counts of wire fraud. Extradited to Houston July 13, 2006, free on bond but required to live in the Houston area pending trial.
David Bermingham
Formerly a finance specialist at Greenwich NatWest, a division of London's National Westminster Bank, now the Royal Bank of Scotland. Britian's Guardian newspaper reports he's believed to now be working in film finance.
With the help of Enron's Michael Kopper, he and two other British bankers are accused of an intricate financial scheme involving an off-the-books Enron partnership called Southampton, run by the Houston company's chief financial officer, Andrew Fastow. Prosecutors say the trio bilked their employer out of more than $7 million.
Legal status: Indicted on seven counts of wire fraud. Extradited to Houston July 13, 2006, free on bond but required to live in the Houston area pending trial.
Giles Darby
Formerly a managing director and energy-industry specialist at Greenwich NatWest, a division of London's National Westminster Bank, now the Royal Bank of Scotland. Britian's Guardian newspaper reports he now works at an engineering firm.
With the help of Enron's Michael Kopper, he and two other British bankers are accused of an intricate financial scheme involving an off-the-books Enron partnership called Southampton, run by the Houston company's chief financial officer, Andrew Fastow. Prosecutors say the trio bilked their employer out of more than $7 million.
Legal status: Indicted on seven counts of wire fraud. Extradited to Houston July 13, 2006, free on bond but required to live in the Houston area pending trial.
David Duncan
Accounting grad from Texas A&M, began with Arthur Andersen in 1981 ... Headed its Enron team since 1997 ... Admitted he ordered Enron-related documents shredded in October, two days after learning of a federal probe.
Legal status: Pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in April 2002, but because he agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, his sentencing was repeatedly postponed. With Arthur Andersen's jury conviction overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court and prosecutors declining to retry the case, Duncan's plea and the charge against him were withdrawn in December 2005.
Studied accounting at the University of Illinois, then got law degree from Harvard ... Joined Arthur Andersen in 2000 ... Wrote memo that led jurors to convict Andersen of obstruction of justice. In it, she indicated she and others at the firm knew early on that the Securities and Exchange Commission could be looking into Enron's accounting problems, and she e-mailed Andersen's auditors at Enron, reminding them of firm's document-retention policy. Shredding began 10 days later
Legal status: No charges have been filed, and a judge dismissed her as a defendant in an Enron shareholders lawsuit against Andersen. Full story.
Jeff McMahon
Graduated from the University of Richmond in Virginia, started career with Arthur Andersen in Houston. ... In 1989, became chief financial officer of MG Natural Gas Corp. in Houston ... Joined Enron in 1994, serving as chief financial officer for European operations and treasurer ... Promoted to chief financial officer after Andrew Fastow was ousted in October 2001 ... After Enron went bankrupt, served as president and chief operating officer ... Resigned in April 2002. Heads own consulting group.
Legal status: Never has been charged with a crime at Enron, but credit-rating agencies have testified he was among the Enron executives who purposely misled them as far back as 1999. Witnesses in the Enron barge trial testified he made illicit oral promises to Merrill Lynch bankers that if they'd temporarily buy some power-plant barges from Enron, the company would get them out of the deal within six months at a profit. That would make the barge deal a sham designed to make it look like Enron was more profitable than it was.
Sherron Watkins
Attended high school in Tomball ... Earned bachelor's and master's degrees at University of Texas ... Wrote now-famous memo to Ken Lay on Aug. 15, 2001, describing accounting scandals, then met with him to discuss her concerns ... Resigning as Enron vice president after its bankruptcy, she co-wrote a book, Power Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron, about her experiences at Enron. Named one of Time magazine's Persons of the Year for 2002, she is a familiar face on the nation's public lecture circuit.
J. Clifford Baxter
Close friend of Skilling, resigned as vice chairman in May 2001 ... In January, fatally shot himself in a car a short distance from his Sugar Land home in the middle of the night ... Left a suicide note ... Friends have said he was deeply depressed over the company's collapse ... In her memo to Ken Lay, Sherron Watkins said Baxter had "complained mightily to Skilling and all who would listen about the inappropriateness of our transactions with LJM."
Andrew Weissmann
Director of Enron Task Force prosecutors. Lead prosecutor on the Arthur Andresen obstruction of justice conviction.
U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon
Judge in Arthur Andersen trial. Civil lawsuits against Enron are being consolidated in her court, so she could oversee class action lawsuits on behalf of both Enron shareholders and its employees.
Born 1946 in Port Arthur. Graduated from Radcliffe College in 1969 and University of Texas School of Law in 1972. Trial attorney for Exxon in '70s and '80s. State civil courts judge in Harris County from 1988 to 1989. Appointed to U.S. District Court's Southern District of Texas in 1989.
U.S. District Judge Sim Lake
Judge overseeing the government's case against former Enron Chairman Ken Lay and former Chief Executive Officer Jeff Skilling.
Born 1944 in Chicago. Graduated from Texas A&M University in 1966 and the University of Texas School of Law in 1969. Worked in private practice in Houston through most of '70s and '80s, but served in U.S. Army from 1970 to 1971. Appointed as judge on the U.S. District Court's Southern District of Texas in 1988.
U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein
Judge in trial of two former executives from Enron and four bankers from Merrill Lynch who were accused of concocting a sham sale of floating power plants to pump up the Houston company's earnings. It was the first Enron criminal case to reach trial.
Born 1936 in Houston. Graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1958 and University of Texas School of Law in 1961. Previously worked for law firm of Vinson & Elkins in Houston. Also worked as U.S. Air Force first lieutenant in the JAG Corps and as a Reserve captain. Appointed to U.S. District Court's Southern District of Texas in 1992.
U.S. District Judge Vanessa Gilmore
Judge overseeing trial of former Enron Broadband Services executives.
Born 1956 in St. Albans, N.Y. Graduated from Hampton University in 1977 and the University of Houston Law Center in 1981. Worked in private practice in Houston until 1994, when she was appointed to the U.S. District Court's Southern District of Texas.
Son of a Baptist minister, grew up in Tyrone, Mo. Earned doctorate in economics from University of Houston. Was perhaps Houston's most influential power broker. Helped win approval for baseball park and was close to major politicians. ... In 1984, became chairman and CEO at Houston Natural Gas. It merged with InterNorth within a year, and the new company was dubbed Enron. ... Resigned Jan. 23, 2002.
Conviction: Found guilty May 25, 2006, on all six counts that relate to Enron fraud, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, perpetrating wire and bank fraud, and making false and misleading statements to employees at a company meeting, as well as to banks, securities analysts and corporate credit-rating agencies. He also was found guilty the same day on four other bank fraud counts in a separate case on his personal banking.
Death: Six weeks after his conviction on fraud charges, Lay died July 5 what his pastor said was a "massive coronary.'' He was 64. Lay died unexpectedly during a week's stay in Colorado, the only state he was allowed to visit beyond Texas before his Oct. 23 sentencing.
Resolution: On Oct. 17, U.S. District Judge Sim Lay vacated Lay's conviction and dismissed the indictment, an outcome that was widely anticipated given legal precedent.
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