I have not typically favored lengthy prison sentences for white-collar criminals, but in the case of former WorldCom Chief Executive Officer Bernard Ebbers, I will make an exception and endorse the 25-year prison term meted out to this lawbreaker.
Ebbers is no common criminal. He was the engineer of a multibillion-dollar fraud scheme that destroyed the lives of countless individuals, wiping out their savings, all while Ebbers and his family lived a life of sinful extravagance that was beyond the imagination.
I am sure Ebbers was surprised at the serious nature of the charges against him, that his “I did not know what was going on at my company” defense did not work and that he has been given what is a virtual life sentence, as white-collar cheats had not been dealt with in this manner before. There have been few, though, who have ever displayed the audaciousness, the gall and the unbridled greed of this criminal.
Perhaps the Ebbers sentence will cause other cunning, amoral manipulators to think twice before attempting to perpetrate grand-scale fraud and thievery.
