Ebbers sentenced to 25 years in jail
Former WorldCom chief executive given stiff sentence by US District Judge
Bernie Ebbers has been sentenced to at least 25 years in federal prison for
his part in the biggest fraud case in accounting history.
US District Judge Barbara Jones ignored Ebbers’ defence lawyers’ requests for
leniency, handing the 63-year-old a severe prison term. ‘This is not a minor
fraud,’ she told a packed Manhattan courtroom.
The sentence was initially reported about 11:30am EDT as being 30 years, but
minutes later was reduced to 25 years. US government prosecutors had sought a
maximum 85-year sentence.