HOUSTON — Hidden evidence. Prosecutorial misconduct. Flawed legal arguments. An unfair trial setting.
These are some of the claims that attorneys for former Enron Corp. chief executive Jeff Skilling have made in appealing his 2006 convictions for his role in the energy giant’s collapse.
A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans will consider today whether the conviction was rightfully obtained.
“The defense has put together a very good (case),” said Jack Sylvia, a Boston-based lawyer with the firm of Mintz Levin, who is familiar with the appeal.
Skilling and company founder Ken Lay were convicted in May 2006 on 19 counts of fraud, conspiracy, insider trading and lying to auditors for their role in the collapse of Enron, once the nation’s seventh- largest company.
Lay died less than two months later, and his convictions were vacated. Skilling reported to a federal prison in Minnesota in December 2006 to begin his 24-year sentence. He will not be present for the appeal.
Skilling is the highest-ranking executive convicted for shady business deals that led to Enron’s 2001 implosion, which erased thousands of jobs, more than $60 billion in Enron stock value and more than $2 billion in employee pension plans.
