No new trial for former WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers

No new trial for former WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers

A federal judge has denied a plea by the former WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers for a fresh new trial. He would now be sentenced today in the WorldCom scam worth around USD 11 billion. He is expected to receive rather harsh punishment for involvement in the scam. Ebbers had earlier claimed that the judge or prosecutors should have granted immunity to three witnesses that Ebbers contends could have helped clear him of charges related to the fraud.

And his lawyers also tried to get him a fresh trial by saying that prosecutors unfairly prejudiced jurors by suggesting in their closing statement that there was evidence outside the trial record that proved government witnesses were telling the truth. The judge Barbara Jones had different opinion on the trial as she said: “I find that none of these grounds requires a new trial.” Ebbers case weakened after former WorldCom executives Ron Beaumont, Ron Lomenzo and Stephanie Scott made use of the Fifth Amendment right and did not testify.

Judge also said: “Considering the heft of the evidence, it is extraordinarily unlikely that one oblique comment by the government at the end of a lengthy, detailed summation could have made any difference in the jury’s ultimate decision to convict.” She also said that the jurors were instructed to disregard the remark in the prosecution closing argument. This means that the sentencing hearing of Bernard would proceed and he would be sentenced later today.

The case against Ebbers was further weakened by the fact that a similar ruling in a fraud case against the founder of Adelphia Communications Corporation John Rigas gave him a 15-year sentence. This was in spite of the fact that John was in poor health and 80 years old! Bernard Ebbers on his part has asked for a term “substantially below” life in prison, citing his poor health and a history of charitable works. However, the scale of the fraud and the number of people it has affected would perhaps overrule that demand.