It would be a mistake to confuse this with leniency. For these two former executives, even several years in a state prison will be a very long stretch of time. |
It's the difference between legitimate spinning and impermissible lying. |
Obviously they are taking a look at the evidence. They must be heavy into deliberations. |
Prosecutors certainly want him to be credible. It if looks like he's shifting too much blame onto others, that could backfire. |
Prosecutors have to show this was not simply bad management and bad judgment, but outright fraud. The only way to do that is with insiders. |
Since these are the first two major corporate executives to take the government on at trial in the post-Enron era, it's critically important that the government emerge at the end of the day with a victory, |
Somebody who was willing to mislead or ignore the rules on these smaller issues would certainly be willing to resort to similar tactics when it came to matters of greater significance. |
Sometimes people feel they have no choice. It's their one chance to tell their own story. |
The biggest problem is that Duncan didn't come across as someone who was convinced of his own guilt. If he can't figure out [that he is guilty] how can you impute liability to the entire partnership? |
The credibility of a cooperating witness is always going to be under attack. You're asking a jury to believe somebody who has already committed a crime. |
The crimes alleged at Enron were not the acts of a few greedy senior executives but truly was an indictment of almost the entire corporate culture. |
The crimes alleged at Enron were not the acts of a few greedy senior executives, but truly was an indictment of almost the entire corporate culture. |
The enormous problem faced by both these defendants is that it is their word against an army of former colleagues, many of whom have subjected themselves to potential prison time by virtue of their admissions. |
The government is trying to paint this as a clear case of right vs. wrong. What the defense is doing is suggesting this case is not nearly as black and white as the government is trying to suggest. |
The Government's only shot at convictions is to simplify this case. |