Enron Corp. former executives Michael Kopper and Mark Koenig were sentenced to far shorter prison terms than they agreed to in pleading guilty, as a judge rewarded their cooperation in prosecuting their bosses for fraud.
U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein sentenced Kopper, 41, a former finance officer, to three years and one month today in Houston. Koenig, 51, onetime investor relations chief, received an 18-month sentence. Each was fined $50,000. In pleading guilty, Kopper agreed to accept a 15-year term and Koenig agreed to 10 years. Prosecutors asked for leniency.
“Simply put, Mr. Kopper’s assistance was invaluable to the government’s efforts to get to the bottom of what happened at Enron and to charge culpable individuals,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Ruemmler wrote in a court filing.
Houston federal judges have rewarded several former Enron executives with lighter sentences than they agreed to when pleading guilty, and sometimes lighter than prosecutors wanted.
