On July 13, 2005, former WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for orchestrating the largest corporate accounting fraud in American history. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones in Manhattan, represented one of the harshest penalties ever …
Bernard EbbersDepartment of Justicecorporate-fraudworldcomcriminal-prosecutionsecurities-fraudcorporate-accountability
On July 21, 2002, WorldCom filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, listing $107 billion in assets and $41 billion in debt—making it the largest bankruptcy in American history. The filing came just 26 days after the company disclosed $3.8 billion in accounting fraud, demonstrating the speed at …
Bernard EbbersWorldComScott Sullivancorporate-fraudworldcombankruptcyaccounting-fraudwhite-collar-crime
On June 25, 2002, WorldCom, the second-largest telecommunications company in the United States, announced it would restate its financial statements after discovering $3.8 billion in fraudulent accounting entries. The company admitted that “certain transfers” from line cost expenses to …
Bernard EbbersCynthia CooperScott SullivanWorldComcorporate-fraudworldcomaccounting-fraudsecurities-fraudwhite-collar-crime