Former Enron chief exec Jeff Skilling's in federal court in Houston today, where he'll likely be sentenced to at least 25 years for his part in "heading a conspiracy to defraud Enron investors," as The New York Times puts it today. Which means Skilling won't be spending any more time at his $700,000 Dallas condo at 1919 McKinney Avenue. (Suite 1008, if you wanna go and pay your last respects.)
The Times story also recounts how Skilling spent his summer vacation--by hanging out in California and Dallas, where his daughter goes to college. Of course, we all know how that turned out: with a DUI arrest in September. But there's a good explanation for that, says Skilling's attorney, Daniel Petrocelli. The Times reports:
"Mr. Skilling seemed to stay out of Houston as much as possible, spending time at a condominium he owns in Dallas, where his daughter had been a student at Southern Methodist University. But Mr. Skilling's coping also meant drinking again, despite a court order that forbade him to do so after a much-publicized night of drunkenness in April 2004 at a Manhattan cigar bar, when Mr. Skilling scuffled with some other patrons.His summer travel ended after he was arrested in Dallas last month for public intoxication. He pleaded no contest and paid a fine. That night, he was out with his brother Mark and his daughter at a Mexican restaurant and had some margaritas, which did not mix well with his prescription medicine, Mr. Petrocelli said. He was walking home to the condo when he was stopped by a police officer; he spent a night in jail."
We're not really sure we believe that Skilling was walking home: He was popped in the 3600 block of McKinney Avenue, which would put him near the intersection at Lemmon Avenue--or two miles from his condo. Then again, if I was about to go to prison for the rest of my life, I'd welcome the exercise. --Robert Wilonsky
