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Enron's Andrew Fastow Sentenced to Six Years

Enron's former CFO Andrew Fastow caught a big break from the sentencing judge today. Instead of the ten year sentence he agreed to in his plea agreement, (pdf) the Judge granted him leniency and sentenced him to only six years.

As I wrote here about Bernie Ebbers (who entered prison today) and Scott Sullivan, there is something morally bankrupt about a system that allows a defendant who exercises his constitutional right to go to trial to get 25 years while a codefendant with greater or equal culpability who cooperates with the Government and tells the Government's truth at trial when testifying against that defendant gets five years.

Was Jeffrey Skilling, who faces a possible 185 years, but is likely to get far less, let's say 30 years, five times more culpable than Fastow? No. He was convicted with Fastow's testimony. purchased by the Government with promises of years of freedom.

The whole thing stinks.

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    Re: Enron's Andrew Fastow Sentenced to Six Years (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Sep 26, 2006 at 01:11:09 PM EST
    I think there are two separate questions. First, how much disparity is acceptable between people who go to trial and people who plead guilty? Second, how much disparity is acceptable between people who plead guilty and people who plead guilty and cooperate?

    Re: Enron's Andrew Fastow Sentenced to Six Years (none / 0) (#2)
    by rdandrea on Tue Sep 26, 2006 at 02:48:18 PM EST
    Yeah, it does stink. It stinks because they didn't throw away the key. Those ba$+ards ruined more lives than any mass murderer. If they had been black kids caught with crack, they'd be doing more jail time.

    Re: Enron's Andrew Fastow Sentenced to Six Years (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Sep 26, 2006 at 02:48:18 PM EST
    Also, this may be nitpicking, but I think the critique comes too early to the extent it contrasts Fastow to Skilling. The judge has gone below an agreed-upon sentence, from ten to six years. Until we see how he treats Skilling, its incongrous to compare what he gave Fastow (which was less than agreed to and expected) with what we expect he'll give Skilling.

    Re: Enron's Andrew Fastow Sentenced to Six Years (none / 0) (#4)
    by kdog on Tue Sep 26, 2006 at 02:48:18 PM EST
    Squeaky wheel gets the grease...and rats get the cheese. Being a stand up guy at the end (aka refusing to rat out your friends and facing the music) gets you nada.

    Re: Enron's Andrew Fastow Sentenced to Six Years (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Sep 26, 2006 at 02:48:18 PM EST
    did the judge have time to sell his stock? why in the hell would a jurist give a break to someone that conspired to rape the country? Can other states now try him?

    Re: Enron's Andrew Fastow Sentenced to Six Years (none / 0) (#6)
    by Patrick on Tue Sep 26, 2006 at 03:57:50 PM EST
    A stand up guy would have pleaded guilty if they were and accepted the consequences....There has to be an incentive to plead guilty before a trial. If there wasn't, eveyone would take their chances on a trial, and the system would cease to operate. TL knows this, but chooses to overlook it.

    Re: Enron's Andrew Fastow Sentenced to Six Years (none / 0) (#7)
    by Che's Lounge on Tue Sep 26, 2006 at 08:01:54 PM EST
    Corporatocracy.

    Re: Enron's Andrew Fastow Sentenced to Six Years (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Sep 26, 2006 at 11:20:07 PM EST
    There is a law saying that the Govt can't offer things of "value" to witnesses. A woman guilty of a drug crime took it to court (Sonya Singleton case) saying offering freedom/leniency was of course "valauble." She was right, of course, but the court folded and decided against her because the whole system would break down without snitches.