Enron prosecutors painted as puppet masters

“These witnesses were not unvarnished,” Secrest said. “They were shellacked. They were groomed. Wind ’em up and point them in the right direction.”

Skilling faces 28 counts of fraud, conspiracy, insider trading and lying to auditors related to his activities from 1999 to August 2001. Lay faces six counts of fraud and conspiracy stemming mostly from the period after he resumed as CEO in August 2001.

On Thursday, which would be the Lay-Skilling jury’s second day of deliberations, Lay will go on trial again — before U.S. District Judge Sim Lake but without a jury — in a case related to his personal banking.

In that case, the government contends he obtained $75 million in loans from three banks from 1999 through 2001 and reneged on agreements not to use the money to carry or buy margin stock.

He is charged with one count of bank fraud and three counts of making false statements to banks in the case. Lake plans to issue his verdict in the banking case, which is expected to last several days, after jurors in the conspiracy case give theirs.

In the conspiracy case, which began in late January and saw its last full day in the courtroom on Tuesday, some of the highest drama came in the final half-hour.

Chip Lewis, the third of four lawyers for Lay to speak to the jury, told the panel he was “angry” at misrepresentations made by the task force, which is made up mostly of by lawyers from outside Texas.

He then gestured to prosecutor Hueston and railed, “Don’t come to Houston, Texas, and lie to us.”

Lewis was followed by lawyer Michael Ramsey, the head of Lay’s legal team, who was addressing the jury for the first time since his return from a trial absence for surgery.

In a speech that almost sounded fit for patriotic background music, Ramsey said it was the judge and the American flag — not the prosecutors — that represented the United States.

“You speak for the country when you render a verdict, and render a true verdict,” he said. “Not guilty. Not guilty. Not guilty.”

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