Kenny Boy Lay and his lawyer are in Washington to have a chat with federal prosecutors. Well, they hope to have a chat, anyway.
Ex-Enron Chairman Ken Lay and his criminal defense lawyer are in Washington, D.C., this week, hoping the lawyer can get a chance to speak to Enron prosecutors. Mike Ramsey, contacted in Washington on Monday, said "we're here to meet with prosecutors." Lay himself would not meet with prosecutors; only his lawyers would attend. Some involved said they expect the meeting today.
Ramsey has previously said he would go to Washington to answer prosecutors' questions. But it is unclear whether prosecutors, who have been investigating Lay for more than two years and have taken witnesses about Lay to the grand jury in recent weeks, have questions for Lay's lawyers.Enron Task Force Director Andrew Weissmann would not comment Monday about any meeting with Ramsey.
Federal prosecutors plan to ask a grand jury to indict Ken Lay on charges relating to the last few months he was at the helm of Enron as the company spiraled into its stunning 2001 collapse, according to lawyers for witnesses in the case. They said the indictment request could be as soon as this week.
Ramsey said at a news conference in Houston last week he would be surprised if Lay is indicted.
Attorneys for ex-Enron CEO Jeff Skilling had hoped to make a last presentation before prosecutors decided whether to indict him. They got a last-minute meeting with prosecutors but say minds were already made up because Skilling was indicted within a day of that meeting.
Bruce Hiler, one of Skilling's Washington, D.C.-based lawyers, said he doesn't know if any meeting could help the ex-chairman's cause. But Hiler said Monday he's worried that there is an unstoppable effort to vilify those at the top of Enron.
Hiler said, "The only hope may be to finally get juries to listen to the facts."