Skilling won't have report to prison: WSJ

[rodeodance]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061212/ts_nm/enron_skilling_appeal_dc

Skilling won't have report to prison: WSJ

17 minutes ago

HOUSTON (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court will allow ex-Enron Chief Executive Jeffrey Skilling to stay out of prison while it considers granting him bail, according to a report published on the Wall Street Journal's Web site on Monday.


Skilling was scheduled to report to a federal prison in Minnesota on Tuesday to begin a 24-year sentence for his role in hiding Enron's financial condition from investors as the company's fortunes eroded prior to its 2001 collapse.

Skilling attorney Daniel Petrocelli told the paper he found out Monday evening the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals would allow Skilling to remain under house arrest while it considers granting him bail during his appeals of fraud and conspiracy convictions........

A Houston jury convicted Skilling in May.

[Aviation Pro]

1. Why prolong the inevitable, Jeff?

Afterall, you can make a lot of close friends in prison.

[Selatius]

2. If Skilling were poor and pulled off a bank robbery netting millions, he'd be in prison, period.

If you are rich and rip off millions, it's a different story. You get to go to Club Fed or get off with a slap on the wrist. There's the law and then there's the law for rich, powerful people.

[Jacobin]

3. That rat-f***er

The criminal 5th Circuit Court of appeals

[MGKrebs]

4. Justice.

Not.

It is shameful the obvious disparity of justice. So-called "white-collar" crimes are treated like it's a gentleman's club and disrupting the perp's life is to be done as delicately and gently as possible. A guy like Padilla gets prison with no lawyer for months (or years!) without even having been charged, let alone convicted. Tommy Chong gets months in prison for selling harmless glass water pipes. Old ladies get killed while defending their home against official invaders. Guys like Abramoff stay free until virtually every appeal is exhausted or they cop a plea. (And supposedly he has his own office at the FBI!)

[Mythsaje]

5. Right--as if a poor person would get anything near the same treatment...n/t

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

6. Why is any surprised at this??

Scumbag George Ryan, former governor of Illinois, got the same treatment two weeks ago. He's out on bail while his appeal is being considered. He was supposed to report to Federal prison in January.

Nothing to see here, same old story...

[0007]

17. Egads!!

Nothing to see here folks, just keep on moving!

[niyad]

7. un-frigging-believable

[Jim Lane]

8. I can't join in the general expression of outrage.

A criminal defendant has a right to take an appeal. Ideally, no one would be jailed while an appeal was still pending.

The problem is that many convicted defendants would flee. It's usually not a good circumstance for granting bail.

Skilling is wearing an ankle monitoring device and is arguably less likely to try to flee anyway. The decision about granting bail should be made on a case-by-case basis. That procedure results in some inequity, because a poor defendant is less likely to be granted bail. Where the court judges that a particular defendant presents a low risk of flight, though, it would be unfair to deny bail just because other defendants wouldn't qualify.

[MGKrebs]

13. Why is he so unlikely to flee? Because he's well known?

It is the inequity that is outrageous.

How do they determine who gets a bracelet? Are they reserved for certain typs of criminals or crimes? The ones with good lawyers?

[Jim Lane]

15. That would be my guess

You put your finger on the biggest inequity: The rich get much better legal representation than do the poor.

As for Skilling, I think that someone whose photo has been so widely disseminated, and who even "starred" in a movie (The Smartest Guys in the Room), would have trouble taking it on the lam.

[jarab]

9. White-collar crime and its penalties should be re-visited.

White collar crime hurts people. Many more are robbed by the pen than by the gun.

...O...

[dysfunctional press]

14. re-visited by whom...?

whie-collar criminals are the ones that write the laws in the first place.

[Zan_of_Texas]

10. Well, Ken Lay didn't have to report to prison.

We have the word of a few officials in Aspen as to where Mr. Lay is right now.

A guy like Lay, worth probably over $100 million regardless of what he told the court (he took home around $275 million in his last three years at Enron), MIGHT JUST be able to buy his freedom with a bit of a lie about his death.

Not saying he did. But, I don't rule it out.

[WhiteTara]

11. Newspaper: Skilling won't have report to prison

damn I hate this. I want him to be in prison. :grr:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16161315/

HOUSTON - A U.S. appeals court will allow ex-Enron Chief Executive Jeffrey Skilling to stay out of prison while it considers granting him bail, according to a report published on the Wall Street Journal’s Web site Monday.

Skilling was scheduled to report to a federal prison in Minnesota Tuesday to begin a 24-year sentence for his role in hiding Enron’s financial condition from investors as the company’s fortunes eroded prior to its 2001 collapse.

Skilling attorney Daniel Petrocelli told the paper he found out Monday evening the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals would allow Skilling to remain under house arrest while it considers granting him bail during his appeals of fraud and conspiracy convictions.
snip
Since being sentenced in October, Skilling has been under house arrest in Houston and required to wear an electronic monitoring device on his ankle.
(short article)
edited for typing

[Patchuli]

12. Oh just throw his corrupt tush in the pokey already!

If one more of these bahstards skates....Yes, I realize that Lay had to die to 'skate' but to get charges dropped due to death? Not fair. Let Skilling pay his debt to society. He lied, he stole and he deserves what the law prescribes. I don't notice that California is getting any money back from these crooks?!

[ryanmuegge]

16. I'm not surprised. However, he shouldn't even have the opportunity

to make it to prison. In an ideal world, he'd be publicly executed. That's what sociopaths like Skilling, Lay, and Fastow deserve.

[HughBeaumont]

18. Arrests and lengthy jail sentences are for non-connected poor people.

With a few exceptions.

Poor guy steals $300 from your company - you go to jail; your career, finances, marriage and life are instantly ruined.

Rich guy steals $100 million from your company - You go to "non-pound-me-in-the-ass prison", you get out in 18 months, you're still rich when you get out for whatever reason.