Berkowitz Strikes
Federal prosecutor Sean Berkowitz just showed a lighting-like ability to strike at former Enron chief executive Jeffery Skilling's character, which has been portrayed as arrogant. Berkowitz is cross-examining Skilling in his fraud trial.
Talking about Enron's international assets, Berkowitz was ticking off all the problems Skilling saw with having assets in developing countries--revolution, taxes, fuel costs, regulation and so on.
"Those are risks separate and apart from investments here, right?" Berkowitz said.
"Unless you're in California," Skilling said, joking.
Berkowitz saw his opening.
"Do you think that's funny?" Berkowitz said.
"Um," Skilling said.
"You're smiling," Berkowitz said. "Do you think that's funny?" For a moment, Berkowitz sounded like Joe Pesci's crazy gangster character in "Goodfellas."
"I think the regulatory environment in California was not at all dissimilar from the regulatory environment in Brazil," Skilling said.
"You've previously made fun of what happened in California, didn't you?" Berkowitz said. "You've publicly made jokes about what happened out there, didn't you?"
"A joke, yes," Skilling said. He and Berkowitz were referring to a joke Skilling made on a Webcast about the rolling blackouts in California when he was chief executive. "What's the difference between the Titanic and California?" Skilling joked at the time. "When the Titanic went down, at least the lights were still on." Enron has been partly blamed for the blackouts and taped conversations between Enron energy traders show they made jokes about California residents having to light candles.
"Do you regret telling that joke now?" Berkowitz asked.
"Um," Skilling said. "You know the situation behind that..."
Berkowitz interrupted: "Do you regret making that joke about what was happening in California?"
"Yes, now I do," Skilling said.
With that, Berkowitz seamlessly returned to his previous line of questioning.
By Frank Ahrens |
April 17, 2006; 11:53 AM ET
| Category:
Dispatches
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Posted by: Justice for All | April 17, 2006 12:07 PM
If the jury buys that Lay and Skilling met on the 22nd and did not discuss the Watkins memo, then it is over...but I can't imagine any jury buying his line..making California jokes was also an incredibly bad move on his part.
Posted by: Greg | April 17, 2006 12:46 PM
The "tone" has been set for the rest of this cross-examination. It's going to be a long week for Mr. Skilling.
Posted by: Jeff M. | April 17, 2006 01:42 PM
Go get him Sean, make him sweat..treat him like Fairfax Police treat Optometrists that bet on sports..
Posted by: K. Lay | April 17, 2006 02:27 PM
Well its not so difficult to find out why mr skilling sold its stocks...hey knew somenthing was up and thats the prosecutors key....
far as we can use a prosecutor like mr berkowitz, of course we do need more people like himself, and like patrick figthzgerald too..
Specially here in Houston texas.....where scandals are big as the state.!!!!
Posted by: leiva3035 | April 17, 2006 03:16 PM
ALL IS NOT LOST FOR SKILLING AND" KENNY BOY" LAY. PERHAPS OUR PRESIDENT IN HIS INFINITE WISDOM WILL GRANT HIS TWO TEXAS BUDDIES A FULL PARON IN ONE OF HIS LAST OFFICIAL ACTS IN OFFICE.?
Posted by: David Sydney | May 26, 2006 02:05 PM
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Wow, Fairfax County residents could use Federal Prosecutor Sean Berkowitz, he sounds pretty intelligent and pretty tough. Perhaps he could find out the truth about Fairfax County Police and mishandling of the Dr. Culosi case by Fairfax County Detective David J. Baucom and SWAT Officer Deveal Bullock. If this Federal Prosecutor was hammering away at them they would probably be more willing to actually talk about how they killed an unarmed optometrist, who was compliant.