Skilling won’t have to report to prison: WSJ
HOUSTON (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court will allow ex-Enron Chief Executive Jeffrey Skilling to stay out of prison while it considers granting him bail, according to a report published on the Wall Street Journal’s Web site on Monday. Skilling was scheduled to report to a federal prison in Minnesota on Tuesday to begin a 24-year sentence for his role in hiding Enron’s financial condition from investors as the company’s fortunes eroded prior to its 2001 collapse. Skilling attorney Daniel Petrocelli told the paper he found out Monday evening the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals would allow Skilling to remain under house arrest while it considers granting him bail during his appeals of fraud and conspiracy convictions.
Yesterday, I was all excited because, finally, after all the legal machinations and maneuvering, former Enron CEO Jeff Skilling was going to prison, where he would be spending 24 years in, of all places, my native Minnesota. The idea of Skilling having to endure 24 Minnesota winters brought a smile to my face. When I think of those folks I worked with during my time as a contract technical writer at Enron, I can’t help but thinking that they deserve the satisfaction of finally seeing Skilling locked up. That’s about all they’re going to get out of this sorry saga, but it’s better than nothing.
Well, as ESPN college football analyst Lee Corso would say, NOT SO FAST, MY FRIEND! In my excitement, I lost sight of the fact that Skilling’s high-powered legal team was hard at work trying to stave off the inevitable. In the end, money talked…and Skilling’s date with FCI- Waseca was delayed while a federal judge decides whether or not Skilling can remain out on bail during his appeal process.
Yes, Justice may be blind, but there’s no denying that she has her price, eh? If you or I were facing incarceration, would we be able to afford the legal representation necessary to keep our sorry asses out of prison? Highly unlikely…or in my case, TOTALLY unlikely.
The rich may not be above the law, but unlike you or I, they can certainly afford to buy it off for an extended period. Nice, eh? Yeah, the rich really ARE different; they can buy the “justice” most of us can only dream of.
