Saturday, June 22, 2013
Associated Press
HOUSTON
One of the country’s most notorious financial scandals came to a protracted legal conclusion Friday as ex-Enron Corp. CEO Jeffrey Skilling — already in prison for his role in the once-mighty energy giant’s collapse — was resentenced to 14 years as part of a court-ordered reduction and a separate agreement with prosecutors.
Skilling’s sentence was reduced by 10 years, and his attorneys say it’s likely that with time off for good behavior and other factors, he will be released in 2017.
Skilling has been in prison since 2006, when he was sentenced to more than 24 years by U.S. District Judge Sim Lake. But an appeals court vacated his prison term in 2009, ruling that a sentencing guideline was improperly applied. That meant a reduction of as much as nine years.
However, Skilling’s resentencing was delayed for years as he unsuccessfully sought to overturn his convictions, including appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Justice Department said that in an effort to resolve a case that’s gone on for more than 10 years, it agreed to an additional reduction of about 20 months as part of a deal to stop Skilling from filing any more appeals. Federal prosecutors say the deal will allow for the distribution of $41.8 million of Skilling’s assets in restitution to victims of Enron’s 2001 collapse.
Even with the reduced sentence, Skilling’s prison term still is the longest of those involved in the Enron scandal. He was the highest- ranking executive to be punished. Enron founder Kenneth Lay’s similar convictions were vacated after he died of heart disease less than two months after his trial.
Skilling, 59, declined to make statements during Friday’s resentencing hearing.