Jacob frenkel

I've been rather skeptical based on how long it has taken and the nature of the charges that have been brought to date [against Enron officials] whether they would ever get to Ken Lay.

These cases are not a slam dunk. The biggest challenge for the government, if it wins, is to make the win stick.

In the last two years, the government has painstakingly climbed ladders, gotten different people along the way to plead guilty in order to go after someone at the higher rung. We're now at the top of the ladder.

Less rope is needed for two necks, as the government's noose tightens. The government always benefits from the addition of high-level insiders who would have been party to conversations with most senior executives.

What it really means is a shorter, more focused trial, which is better for the government. It probably takes out of the equation some of the more complex accounting issues. The defense was likely hoping to make this case seem like a complex civil financial fraud case, and without Causey, that will be more difficult.