Results tagged “judgesimlake”

The infamous Bible that formerly stood on Houston's Courthouse Square could now be a moot point because the Bible and the monument that held it are both gone and the courthouse is closed, judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said yesterday. It was the first day of a hearing before the 5th Circuit about the Bible, which was removed from a monument honoring Star of Hope benefactor William Mosher after a federal judge and a panel of the circuit court judges said it violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. more ›

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is set to hear a controversial case involving a Bible display at the Harris County Courthouse today — and just in time, the stand that used to hold the Bible (and supposedly would again if previous decisions are overturned) has been removed. more ›

Looks like former Enron CEO Jeff Skilling will have at least a bit longer at home before he has to report to a federal prison in Minnesota: Yesterday, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals postponed Skilling's report date while it considers his request for bail while he appeals his convictions on 19 charges of fraud, conspiracy and insider trading in connection with Enron's collapse. It's a short-term reprieve for Skilling, and it could point to promising developments for him in the long term: more ›

So Jeff Skilling had the next chunk of his life mapped out for him this afternoon: The former Enron CEO was sentenced to 24 years and four months in prison, meaning he'll get out of jail when he's 76. U.S. District Judge Sim Lake ordered Skilling to home confinement for a while — for how long, it's not clear: Lake asked the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to recommend when Skilling should be sent to jail.... more ›

Five months after former Enron CEO Jeff Skilling was found guilty of 19 counts of fraud, conspiracy and insider trading, Skilling will learn his fate at 1 p.m. today in the federal courthouse at 515 Rusk Ave. And the hearing is open to the public — so hey, if you're having a slow afternoon, why not swing by? more ›

So former Enron Chairman Ken Lay's criminal record is now clean, thanks to a ruling yesterday from U.S. District Judge Sim Lake that erased Lay's convictions on 10 counts of fraud and conspiracy in connection with Enron's collapse. Too bad Lay's not around to enjoy the freedom. In his ruling, Lake agreed with lawyers for Lay's estate who argued that the conviction should be erased and indictments against Lay dropped because of his death from... more ›

This summer, about two months after former Enron CEO Jeff Skilling was convicted of fraud, conspiracy, insider trading and lying to auditors in connection with the Enron collapse, U.S. District Judge Sim Lake denied Skilling's request to have his conviction overturned. But never say Skilling is a quitter: Now, he's again asking Lake to overturn his conviction, this time based on a federal appeals court ruling. The ruling in question had to do with some... more ›

Last month, ex-Enron chief Ken Lay's lawyers began making moves toward having Lay's conviction on charges of fraud and conspiracy vacated, and government prosecutors indicated they would put up a fight. Well, turns out the government wasn't just whistling Dixie: In a court filing yesterday, prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge Sim Lake to hold off on ruling about the vacation until Congress can consider changing the law. more ›

And the Enron legal saga goes on: A day after we learned that Judge Sim Lake approved a request from Lay's lawyers to substitute Lay's estate for Lay in court proceedings, the first step toward vacating the dead former Enron leader's conviction on fraud and conspiracy charges, Lay's estate attorneys filed a request today to erase the convictions and dismiss the indictment against Lay. But it looks like prosecutors aren't going to take that lying down: The filing included a sentence that said Lay's lawyer, Michael Ramsey, had "conferred with [prosecutor] Kathy Ruemmler, who indicated the government will oppose this motion." more ›

This just in: Houston might have inherited its crime problems of the past year from some hurricane evacuees This also just in: It's really hot outside! Meanwhile, HPD is rolling out a plan to rehire retired cops for part-time jobs to help make up for its staffing shortage Judge Sim Lake has ruled that it's OK for Ken Lay's lawyers to substitute Lay's estate for Lay himself in court proceedings, the first step to getting... more ›

Remember earlier this summer when Enron prosecutors said they would seek $183 million from former Enron execs Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling — money the government says is ill-gotten gains earned using fraud and conspiracy at Enron? And remember how Skilling complained about his $140 million share of that a few weeks later? Well, that might not have been such a good idea, it looks like: Since Lay is dead, the government has decided to ask Skilling to pony up the whole $183 million. Whoops! more ›

We imagine Jeff Skilling is somewhere drowning his sorrows in a Schlitz: Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Sim Lake denied the former Enron CEO's request to overturn his convictions on fraud, conspiracy and insider trading charges. Skilling claimed the evidence presented in his trial earlier this year was insufficient, so his convictions on 19 of 28 charges should be dismissed. Well, nice try anyway, Jeff. more ›

Things aren't that easy these days for ex-Enron CEO Jeff Skilling: Not only has he been convicted of helping bring down a huge energy company, but now he can't get at some $60 million of his money. Skilling's lawyers are trying to change that, though, by asking the government to release the $60 mil — partly so he can have some spending money, but mostly because Skilling still owes his legal team millions of dollars. more ›

In what legal analysts are calling a "slam dunk" for the prosecution, the jury in the trial of Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling found the former Enron executives guilty of charges relating to securities fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy this morning after just more than five days of deliberation. more ›

Judge Sim Lake and the lawyers in the Enron trial met yesterday to agree on the legal instructions Lake will give the jury Monday, which include a charge to consider whether ex-Enron Chairman Ken Lay and ex-CEO Jeff Skilling were "deliberately ignorant," ignoring warnings about improper conduct at the company, or whether they acted on a "good faith" intention to fulfill their duties. Lay lawyer Michael Ramsey, back in court this week after five weeks... more ›

Even though testimony is over in the Enron trial, the action isn't — well, depending on what you call "action," we guess. Yesterday, prosecutors asked Judge Sim Lake to keep the defense from saying that the government didn't call, or barred, certain witnesses during its closing argument next week. more ›

The defense in the Enron trial was dealt a setback Thursday when they had to drop a plan to introduce evidence from ex-Arthur Andersen partner David Duncan. Attorneys for former Enron Chairman Ken Lay and former CEO Jeff Skilling had planned to read jurors more than an hour of testimony Duncan gave in the 2002 Andersen trial, but Judge Sim Lake said if they did that, prosecutors could bring up the fact that Duncan admitted he ordered Enron-related documents shredded two days after he learned about a federal probe into the company. more ›

Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling's lawyers continued hammering at key points of the prosecution's case in the trial of the two ex-Enron executives yesterday, focusing on former CFO Andy Fastow's alleged attempt to get preferential treatment for his LJM side companies. more ›

Prosecutors rested their case against former Enron executives Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling yesterday, asking Judge Sim Lake to drop three charges against Skilling and one against Lay. The dropped charges against Skilling concern a 2000 deal, Project Greyhawk, which prosecutors say the ex-Enron CEO and others created to take advantage of an anticipated jump in Enron's stock price. But to prosecute those allegations, the government would have had to get into the business of... more ›

Judge Sim Lake dropped three charges against Jeff Skilling and one against Ken Lay moments after the prosecution rested its case in the trial of the former Enron executives today A judge assigned to oversee Carole Keeton Strayhorn's lawsuit challenging Texas' independent candidate rules recused himself from the case because he signed Strayhorn's petition to be placed on the ballot for governor The driver of an HISD school bus lost control on the South Loop... more ›

Nine weeks in, and here we are in what may be the last days of the prosecution's case in the trial of ex-Enron execs Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling. Hang in there: It's almost time for everyone to go to the lobby to get popcorn and a Coke. But first, just a bit more testimony to go. more ›

Under cross-examination by Jeff Skilling's lawyer, ex-Enron head of investor relations Mark Koenig said Thursday that neither Skilling, the former Enron CEO, or former Enron head Ken Lay specifically told him to lie about the company's well-being. It was the fourth day of cross-examination of Koenig in the Lay/Skilling trial, and lawyer Daniel Petrocelli continued trying to make Koenig's previous testimony seem forced and unfounded. more ›

In the first day of testimony in the Ken Lay/Jeff Skilling trial, Enron's former head of investor relations said the company's earnings were often adjusted to keep stock prices up. Mark Koenig, who worked closely with former executives Lay and Skilling, said both men were involved in financial management and that Skilling, the ex-CEO, authorized the financial deception. more ›

OK, we admit it: We think we're going to become addicted to the Chronicle's TrialWatch blog, which gave a somewhat behind-the-scenes look at federal courthouse action surrounding jury selection in the Ken Lay/Jeff Skilling trial. How else would we have learned about these gems: • Lay arrived at the federal courthouse first, at about 8:30 a.m., and was reportedly mobbed by reporters as he crossed Smith Street. Skilling showed up a few minutes later and... more ›

Houstonist didn't know if it would actually happen, but it did: By the end of a day of jury selection in the Ken Lay/Jeff Skilling trial, there was a jury selected! Eight women and four men were selected to serve on the jury, with two men and two women chosen as alternates. more ›

U.S. District Judge Sim Lake has refused to move the trial of former Enron execs Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling, the AP reports. more ›