Convicted former Chairman of Enron Kenneth Lay has died of an apparent heart attack.
Damn. Damn, damn, damn. I really wanted to see him go to jail.
OK, I’m a callous bastard, and I should think of his family – they’ve lost a loved one. And I feel bad for them. I do. They have my honest sympathy for their loss. The thing is, they’ll eventually get through their grieving process, recover, and move on, like any other family does when it loses someone. Unlike any other family, Lay’s heirs will move on in a level of comfort that is owed in part to the suffering of ex-Enron shareholders and employees whom the late Mr. Lay is responsible for fucking over.
All the former Enron foot soldiers who did nothing wrong have to move on, too: without their jobs, without the retirement safety nets they had earned, without vacation homes in Snowmass. Now, they may very well also have to do without the comfort of Kenny Boy paying for what he did:
…Lay’s death likely means his conviction will be vacated and it will be as if he were never charged… Lay had not been sentenced and the appeal process had barely started. [According to legal specialists,] that means a final judgment has not been issued and the conviction will be set aside… what is not clear, however, is if the government’s efforts to seize money and assets from Lay can continue… since it is seen as a measure meant to punish the defendant… the government could file a motion for forfeiture as a civil proceeding, however, meaning it would be an attempt to seize assets from Lay’s estate.
Bad enough that the victims are denied the comfort of seeing Lay go to prison, but their civil claim may end with their being stiffed by a stiff. It’s the kind of circumstance that one suspects will cause an uptick in atheism.
Jeff Skilling better stay healthy. I hope they have him on an exercise regimen, with a square diet and weekly physicals. Long live Jeff Skilling.
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Tags: (in)justice, big business, Enron, Jeff Skilling, Ken Lay, scandals
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Wow I wonder if this was done at the advice from his lawyers? Way to take one for the team man. After screwing over so many other people in his stint at Enron he has finally learned what it means to be a team player. at least as far as the estate and family team goes.
As for the rest of the people who will get screwed again by this last ditch effort to escape prosecution, well I hope they find some solace in getting to see Karma in action.
I hope the civil trail can proceed and those involved get what they deserve. Honestly I think Ken got off easy.
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Ok, Dana’s comment totally made me laugh! Boy, did he get that right!
LOVE the post. Keep ‘em comin’.
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“Here’s a few key ones” Arrgh! growled the aged grammarian parent. Am I the last to inveigh against using “there’s” and “here’s” with plural subjects? Except for that picayune grammatical cavil, what you do on this blog makes your sire (not sally wood but that other guy) proud.
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NOTE TO MY WIFE: See – I’m not even the most persnickety grammarian in the family!
Who but my Dad could load a four-line post with inveigh, picayune, cavil and sire? All this while concealing himself beneath my Mom’s login – ha! Can’t fool me!
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