May 09, 2004
Judge to Skilling: Sober up!

Am I a bad person for admitting that I find this funny?


A federal judge on Friday ordered former Enron CEO Jeff Skilling to stop drinking alcohol, find a job or volunteer work and obey a curfew -- one month after a drunken scuffle on the streets of New York.

U.S. District Judge Frances Stacy added restrictions to Skilling's $5 million bond at the request of prosecutors.

The details of the Manhattan incident were not discussed in the 30-minute hearing. The government has previously said that after the incident, when New York police took Skilling to a hospital around 4 a.m. April 9, his blood alcohol level was 0.19 percent, more than twice the legal driving limit of 0.08 in Texas.

Prosecutors have said Skilling violated his bond by being intoxicated, trying to lift a woman's blouse in search of an FBI wiretap and attempting to steal a car's license plate outside an Manhattan cigar bar.

But defense attorneys contend the government has gotten its facts wrong about the incident and Skilling -- though he had been drinking -- was a victim.

Stacy, who said she conferred with U.S. District Judge Sim Lake, who will be trying Skilling's case, said she wants the curfew to be a term of his bond because it could aid him in meeting his no-alcohol requirements.

"Personally, I can't imagine what good thing can happen outside of your home between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m.," the judge said.


I'm still mesmerized by the order that Skilling get a job or do volunteer work. What kind of job do you think he's qualified for? Would you hire him? The mind boggles.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on May 09, 2004 to Enronarama | TrackBack
Comments

Why can a judge order one man to stop drinking, be considered funny, but when another judge orders a couple of crackheads to stop having children, its a crisis? Both seem to curtail the rights of the defendants.

What's the difference?

Posted by: Chris on May 9, 2004 3:26 PM

I dunno - I don't think there's a lot of hope for someone with tons of money who would rather go recreational power drinking in Manhattan past the age of, say, 35 than pretty much anything in the world.

Posted by: julia on May 9, 2004 3:31 PM