Bernie Ebbers

Bernie Ebbers got screwed. Of CEOs whose companies had accounting scandals, Ebbers was the first convicted. So Ebbers was impaled by the initial drive for vengeance.
The worst corporate crook of the Ebbers era, and maybe the most combative and unrepentant defendant of any era, was Jeff Skilling. Yet by the time Ebbers died, Skilling had been out of prison almost a year and a half. Skilling should pray to Ebbers as a savior. Because Bernie served time for Skilling’s sins.

If WorldCom had not gotten caught until the next fraud epidemic, Ebbers might have died unscathed. Like Dick Fuld. Dick Fuld! Maybe the most combative and unrepentant should-be defendant of any era. No prosecution, no plea bargain, no clawback. No SEC sanction! It ain’t just what you do. It is when you do it.

I cannot say that Ebbers did not know that Scott Sullivan and henchmen were outright making up revenue. Maybe he knew. But I can say that the case against Ebbers was weak. Keeping Ebbers in prison for 13 years was a waste of taxpayer money. If Ebbers had lived longer, it would have been a larger waste of taxpayer money.

This is the most cogent line in the article

     The CEO who swiftly assembled a behemoth
     lacked the skills to operate it


Bernard Ebbers, WorldCom CEO Convicted of Fraud, Dies at 78

https://bitly.com/37UnApB