Houston – A jury of 12 Houston-area residents was selected Monday for the trial of former Enron Corp. chiefs Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling, accused of orchestrating the massive fraud that came to symbolize an era of corporate scandals.
Ten women and six men were chosen to serve as jurors and alternates in the trial, but it was not immediately clear which 12 would be the jurors.
The jurors were picked after just one day of jury selection in Houston federal court.
A court clerk swore in the 12 jurors and four alternates, and U.S. District Judge Sim Lake instructed them not to talk about the case during their service. He also ordered them not to read, listen to or watch news reports about the trial.
“You have been through a rigorous selection process. You will be the judges of the facts of this case,” Lake said.
Further details about the jurors’ backgrounds were not immediately available because their jury questionnaires, filled out weeks ago, have not been made public, and the judge conducted individual questioning of potential jurors Monday at the bench.
Earlier in the day, the judge had told a pool of almost 100 potential jurors: “I can assure you this will be one of the most interesting and important cases ever tried.”
Opening statements were scheduled for this morning in the trial – perhaps the premier criminal case to emerge from the corporate scandals that began when Enron went under in 2001.
While thousands of Houston- area residents were laid off in the flame-out of the energy giant, the judge made clear Monday that the jury box was not the place to avenge those who lost jobs or investments.
“We are not looking for people who want to right a wrong or provide remedies for those who suffered in the collapse of Enron,” Lake said.
Lay, 63, and Skilling, 52, appeared relaxed and ready as they arrived at the federal courthouse, flanked by lawyers and watched by a horde of reporters and photographers, some of whom had camped out overnight to secure places inside.
