Former Enron Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Skilling has pleaded no contest to settle his recent arrest for public intoxication in Dallas and paid $385 for a fine and court costs, according to municipal court records examined by a newspaper.
Skilling, convicted in May of 19 counts of fraud, conspiracy, insider trading and lying to auditors in the investigation following the company’s 2001 collapse, was arrested about 1:45 a.m. Sept. 9 in Dallas.
A judgment of guilty was entered in the Class C misdemeanor public intoxication case, the Houston Chronicle reported on its Web site Wednesday.
Skilling’s payment was received by mail on Sept. 21, a city clerk told the newspaper. Skilling made no court appearance.
Skilling was arrested in a ritzy area of shops and restaurants north of downtown Dallas. His lawyer, Daniel Petrocelli, said that Skilling had gone for a walk after having drinks with dinner.
A Dallas police report said Skilling had slurred speech and showed other signs of intoxication. He was briefly detained in a city jail and received the $385 ticket.
Skilling, 52, faces 20 to 30 years in prison in the Enron case and is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 23.
A judge found that Skilling’s arrest did not violate his $5 million bond, but he was ordered to increase the frequency of his visits with alcohol treatment and mental health counselors.
In April 2004, Skilling was involved in a scuffle with patrons of a cigar bar in New York City. He wasn’t arrested, but he and his wife, Rebecca, who was hurt in the incident, were taken to a hospital where a blood test showed Skilling’s blood-alcohol level to be 0.19.
Witnesses said Skilling accused some of the cigar bar patrons of being FBI agents.
U.S. Magistrate Frances Stacy in May 2004 declined to increase Skilling’s bond for the incident, but ordered Skilling to stop drinking, join an alcohol abuse treatment program, abide by a curfew and perform community service. Skilling did his community service with Habitat for Humanity in Houston.
