Reflections on the 10 Year Anniversary of the Convictions of Enron's Jeffrey Skilling and Kenneth Lay

The following represents the personal views, opinions and observations of Michael E. Anderson and do not reflect the official or unofficial views or opinions of the Federal Bureau of Investigation: 

Ten years ago today Enron’s former Chairman/CEO Kenneth Lay and President/COO Jeffrey Skilling were convicted by a jury in Houston, Texas for their fraudulent roles in Enron’s collapse.  Skilling and Lay’s convictions sent a strong message that the FBI would hold corporate executives accountable for their actions regardless of their position or political associations.  In total, the Enron investigation convicted 23 people and forfeited over $105 million to the victims of the Enron fraud.  With the convictions of Skilling and Lay, nearly all of Enron’s senior executive management team were convicted, including the Chairman/CEO, President/COO, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer, Treasurer and the Director of Investor Relations, among many others. 

I had the privilege of supervising the FBI Houston Enron Task Force for the duration of the case and worked with some of the finest FBI Special Agents in my career.  The Enron Task Force also employed some of the sharpest attorneys with unmatched legal acumen, including specifically Leslie Caldwell, John Hueston and Ben Campbell.  While there were many attorneys who worked on the case, these three stood above the rest.  They treated the Agents right and worked with them as true partners which earned tremendous respect.  Appreciation also goes to Joe Ford, the first FBI Inspector in Charge of the case.  He moved the investigation forward at the beginning through not only his experience but also the force of his personality.  He was tough and not always fair; however, you always knew where you stood with Joe.  I enjoyed working with him.  Over the course of the investigation, I learned a lot about business and major case management and have had the opportunity through the years to speak about “Ethics and Enron” to universities and private groups around the country and in Hong Kong.  

The Securities and Exchange Commission and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division were great partners in the investigation.  My thanks to the Agents, Forensic Accountants, Paralegals and Professional Staff employees who sacrificed much to accomplish justice.  

NOTE:   Kenneth Lay died in July 2006 while vacationing near Aspen, Colorado.  In October 2006, Lay’s convictions were voided by the court based on established case law requiring the revocation of convictions if the defendant dies without the opportunity to appeal.