After the verdicts were announced, Mr. Lay joined more than a dozen friends and family members in a circle in one corner of the courtroom to pray. One of Mr. Lay's supporters, Rev. Bill Lawson, could be heard invoking the story of Jesus, "who was convicted and even executed," he said.
Comparing Ken Lay to Jesus Christ is even worse than comparing George Bush to his favorite fetishistic disguise: anyone in uniform.
The [Enron] jurors spoke emotionally about the tremendous sacrifice made by themselves, their families and their co-workers to allow them to sit through this case for 17 weeks.
"We were responsible. We were always accountable. We had to find a way to circle back and tie up loose ends. And I think those (Enron) employees were entitled to the same thing," said payroll manager Carolyn Kuchera.
Wendy Vaughan, a business owner, said they were given "a puzzle with about 25,000 pieces dumped on the table."
The jury, a remarkably alert group through the trial and notably well-spoken after it, said it was the evidence on the stand and in the 20 boxes of paperwork that persuaded it. It didn't buy that there was a conspiracy of government cooperators to lie. Though some admired Lay and Skilling, they also thought they lied on the stand.
"I wanted to believe very, very badly what they were saying, very much so," Vaughan said.
Isn't it fascinating that the Enron jurors, in their insistence on responsibility and accountability, held themselves to a higher standard than the CEOs they were trying and the President bought by the CEOs?
Seventeen weeks of bullshit from the most expensive defense attorneys stolen money could buy, and the Enron jurors didn't crack.
Enron jurors are some of the truest American patriots alive today.
Prosecutors alleged Mr. Lay signed 27 documents agreeing to abide by the lending restrictions, called Regulation U, but nonetheless used the loans to buy stock, or repay Enron loans in excess of the 50% limitation. After one loan was discovered to be in violation, he was warned not to violate the provision and subsequently borrowed from another bank, they said.
An FBI agent testified that by skirting the lending provisions Mr. Lay was able to avoid about $12 million in taxes and stock-exercise costs that would have been required to bring the loans into compliance at the end of 1999.
At the time most of the loans were requested, Mr. Lay said he didn't "fully understand it, and I'm not sure my staff did either." Questioned by his defense attorney, Mr. Lay testified that the signatures on several documents were mechanically affixed and dated by an assistant while he was traveling.
With the magic of his Autopen, Ken Lay managed not to pay $12 million in taxes and all he can say is "whoops."
Where was Lay traveling while his Autopen saved him $12 million? Paris, then on to Davos, then India. And all because of a little misunderstanding.
