2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:blog.washingtonpost.com,2007:/enron/105 Copyright (c) 2006, WashingtonPost.Newsweek Interactive 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-07-06:/enron2006/07/no_foul_play.html

In a very quick turnaround, a Colorado coroner pronounced yesterday that Enron founder Kenneth L. Lay died of coronary artery disease and that the 64-year-old had suffered a previous heart attack. I doubt this will put all the conspiracy theories -- yes, they started the minute his death was announced -- to bed. It's not hard to diagnose severe arterial blockage. It can be done on the living with EKGs, angiograms and CT scans to...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Frank Ahrens 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-07-05:/enron2006/07/heart_of_the_defense_1.html

It's coincidental, if not ironic, that Kenneth L. Lay should die of a heart attack. Several weeks into his trial on federal fraud charges, in March, defense lawyer Michael W. Ramsey said he believed he had suffered a small heart attack in court after shouting at a government witness, former Enron chief finance officer, Andrew S. Fastow. In late March, Ramsey had a stent placed in his heart to open clogged blood flow. He quickly...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Frank Ahrens 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-07-05:/enron2006/07/note_from_the_afterlife.html

Obviously, Kenneth L. Lay's family has other things on its mind now, but a quick check to www.kenlayinfo.com, which the Lay defense team posted more than a year ago and used to tell their client's side of the story, shows it is still active and has not been updated to reflect today's news. Indeed, the opening line of the most-recent entry, posted after his guilty verdict in May, reads eeriliy like a note from beyond,...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Frank Ahrens 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-07-05:/enron2006/07/a_semisurprise_ending.html

I'm not surprised by the news of Kenneth L. Lay's sudden death. Nor am I surprised that death came now, less than two months after he was convicted of fraud and conspiracy for his role in Enron's downfall. In many ways, it seems almost inevitable. After Lay was found guilty on all six charges in May, he realistically faced the rest of his life in prison, come sentencing in September. At 64, even a 10-year...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Frank Ahrens 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-05-26:/enron2006/05/the_aftermath_1.html

Whatever will we talk about now? Now that a Houston jury has convicted former Enron executives Kenneth L. Lay and Jeffrey K. Skilling on fraud and conspiracy charges, let's do a little housekeeping, then take a look ahead. There are a couple of good stories in today's Houston Chronicle worth checking out. One is a profile of John Hueston, the government prosecutor who cross-examined Lay with such irritating jabs that the Enron founder turned into...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Frank Ahrens 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-05-26:/enron2006/05/the_specter_of_prison_becomes_1.html

One commenter to this blog earlier today brought up the point that, perhaps up until now, Jeffrey K. Skilling and Kenneth L. Lay may not have contemplated spending actual time in jail. Now, assuming their convictions do not get overturned on appeal, that is a near-certainty. Legal experts have speculated that the two would be sentenced to a medium-security prison, not the light-security federal work camps once nicknamed "Club Fed." Sentencing is scheduled for Sept....Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Frank Ahrens 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-05-25:/enron2006/05/lay_finally_emerges.html

Kenneth L. Lay just poppped out of the court house with his family. The holdup: He had to come up with the $5 million required for his bail so he could go free. CBNC was reporting that there were federal agents in Lay's luxury Houston penthouse -- the last liquid asset he has (he testified he has an annuity for retirement of about $10 million, if I recall correctly) -- pricing assets to see if...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Frank Ahrens 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-05-25:/enron2006/05/taking_a_breath.html

Phew! Now that we're through the first flurry of activity reporting the verdicts against Kenneth L. Lay and Jeffrey K. Skilling, let's sit back and take a breath and think about what we've seen and what's ahead. First, a little housekeeping, which I should have gotten to earlier: Unlike in April, when I was in Houston, sitting in the Overflow Press Room (OPR, or Mole Hole, as dubbed by Houston AP reporter Kristen Hays), watching...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Frank Ahrens 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-05-25:/enron2006/05/lay_in_prayer_1.html

Jeffrey K. Skilling and his lawyer, Dan Petrocelli, emerged from the court house and briefly addressed the media shortly after the verdict. But Kenneth L. Lay has yet to emerge. CNBC reported a few minutes ago that Lay and his family, as well as his lawyers and much of the Lay team, had joined hands in a circle of prayer, along with Lay's longtime pastor, Stephen Wende, inside the court house. Lay had said all...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Frank Ahrens 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-05-25:/enron2006/05/grooving_on_glisan_1.html

After the verdict was announced, several jurors talked to reporters, explaining what they found compelling in the testimony and evidence. One of the defense's key hopes was that the jury would discount the highly damaging testimony of former Enron chief financial officer Andrew S. Fastow. Fastow had pleaded guilty to several charges and cooperated with the government in its case against Jeffrey K. Skilling and Kenneth L. Lay. The defense told the jury that Fastow...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Frank Ahrens 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-05-25:/enron2006/05/guilty_guilty_and_guilty_1.html

It's pretty clear that the government prosecution hit a home run with the verdicts against former Enron chief executives Jeffrey K. Skilling and Kenneth L. Lay, which were just released. Lay was found guilty on all six couns, Skilling on 19 of 28 counts. The jury, which began deliberation May 17, clearly wanted to put a hurt on the top two men of Enron. After getting guilty pleas from several lesser Enron executives -- some...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Frank Ahrens 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-05-03:/enron2006/05/ahrens_day_30_thats_a_wrap.html

Now that Kenneth L. Lay has finished his testimony, I'm heading back to D.C. It's been a ton of fun, at least partly thanks to my colleagues in the Overflow Press Room (OPR). And it's been a real privilege to have had a front-row seat (well, at least via projection TV) to this historic event. Thanks to all the readers and those who left comments -- you helped make this a real conversation and taught...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Frank Ahrens 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-05-03:/enron2006/05/the_color_of_crime.html

As I wrote shortly after arriving here one month ago, my hotel is in what I like to call the "Bail Bonds District" of Houston, owing to the many businesses of that type around my lodgings. Upon further inspection, it really turns out to be the "Crime & Justice District." Not only is the Harris County Courthouse nearby, so is the family law center, the civil court, the juvenile justice center, a federal jail and...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Frank Ahrens 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-05-03:/enron2006/05/lay_day_525_thats_a_wrap.html

Enron founder Kenneth L. Lay finished his testimony Tuesday about two hours into the day, walking off the stand just before 10 a.m. As soon as he left, a string of character witnesses followed, including Houston Astros owner Drayton McLean, who said, basically, Lay's a good guy but I never did business with him. Given that Lay's on trial for his business dealings, that's an arm's-length handshake from buddy Drayton. Then follow some technical witnesses...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Frank Ahrens 2006-10-04T09:00:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2006-05-02:/enron2006/05/touch_my_monkey.html

There was a light moment in court this morning following a slip of the tongue by Kenneth L. Lay. During cross-examination, federal prosector John Hueston reminded Lay that his lead lawyer, Michael Ramsey, had publicly referred to former Enron treasurer -- and prosecution witness -- Benjamin Glisan as a "monkey." On redirect, Secrest had Lay clarify that Ramsey had more fully called Glisan a "trained monkey." "Did that make the slur any better?" Hueston asked....Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Frank Ahrens