Some day, someone will appear on a talk show as Ken Lay's cellmate.

After he was taken to the federal courthouse in handcuffs Thursday, ex-corporate kingpin Ken Lay started chatting with a couple of other men in his holding cell.

The two, in green prison garb and leg irons, were charged in the smuggling ring deaths of 19 undocumented workers in Victoria.

"One young man said: `I think I saw you on TV last night,' " recalled Lay, who had surrendered that day and was awaiting a court hearing so he could be freed on bond.

So for the next three hours, the former CEO and two alleged human smugglers talked. Defendants from other holding cells soon chimed in.

"A couple even asked me for investment advice," Lay said with a laugh.

His response: "Well, I've not really thought much about that recently," said Lay, who lost hundreds of millions of dollars after Enron's collapse.

Oh, and the letters to the editor ran 4-0 against Kenny Boy on Saturday. Scroll down to "On Ken Lays indictment, guilt".