Bernie Ebbers kind of takes you back, doesn't he?
The former WorldCom chief executive has been found guilty of masterminding the biggest accounting fraud in history, inflating company profits and hiding expenses to the tune of $11 billion. He could spend the rest of his life in prison.
Seeing him made us kind of wistful for a bygone era, and made us want to reconnect with other familiar faces from the spectacular economic bust of 2000.
Remember Enron's Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling? They're still awaiting their 2006 trial. How about disgraced investment banker Frank Quattrone? He's appealing his obstruction of justice conviction.
The Rigas family, the kings of Adelphia Communications, are back, too. The elder Rigas, 80, and his two sons were accused of looting their company to the tune of $3 billion, and in July 2004 both John and his son Timothy, Adelphia's former chief financial officer, were convicted of conspiracy and fraud. They'll be sentenced on March 24.
Then there's Dennis. Who could ever forget L. Dennis Kozlowski, Tyco International's former CEO? Accused of looting $600 million, his $6,000 shower curtain and the salacious video of a $2 million party he threw in Italy on the company dime made him one of the era's most entertaining corporate culprits (for non-shareholders and company employees, that is). His retrial following a hung jury last year is already under way.
Any other names ring a bell? Take a look.
