After six days of deliberations, Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling were both found guilty on multiple counts in the Enron fraud and conspiracy trial.
Lay, 64, was convicted on all six counts against him, including conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud.Source: ABC News.Skilling, 52, was also convicted of conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud.
Jurors spent six days deliberating after more than three months of testimony from 54 witnesses in the fraud and conspiracy trial.
In a separate, non-jury bank fraud trial related to Lay's personal banking, U.S. District Judge Sim Lake has found Enron founder guilty of bank fraud and making false statements to banks. Lake had withheld his verdict in the Lay bank fraud case until the Lay-Skilling jury announced its verdict.
As Daily Kos notes, both Lay and Skilling were big contributers to Republicans. Newsmeat has pages for both Skilling and Lay. It should be no surprise to find Tom DeLay and George W Bush's names on the list of people Lay and Skilling gave money to.
While it may be some sort of vindication to former Enron employees, it still doesn't make up for ruining the lives of thousands of ex-employees. They will both go to jail for a couple of years -- but they ruined entire lives of people they tricked, deceived and, for lack of a better term, screwed over.
