安然前首席財務官的懺悔
????“女士們、先生們,歡迎安迪?法斯托!”
????他似乎不應該成為拉斯維加斯的焦點人物,在2,500名詐騙審計師濟濟一堂的會議廳里登臺發言。 ????六月底,曾入獄5年多的安然(Enron)前首席財務官安迪?法斯托出現在了美國特許詐騙審查師學會(ACFE)召開的大會上,這是他在艱難的救贖之路上邁出的最為公開的一步——講述自己怎樣成為一個“詐騙者”,就如今公司的做法發出令人深省的警告,甚至對2001年安然的倒閉進行反思。 ????法斯托的發言從自我批評開始,而且還講了個冷笑話。他說:“你們中間有幾個人對我說,十年來你們學會有了長足發展。他們對我表示感謝。他們說,在為貴行業的發展做貢獻方面,沒有哪個人能比得上我。我想說,大家不必客氣。” ????聽眾們一陣大笑。 ????笑聲平息后,法斯托認真地說:“但我并不因此而感到驕傲。” ????法斯托曾在78個法庭面臨詐騙指控,大多數罪名都和安然與一系列表外機構的交易有關。法斯托在這些機構組成的網絡中扮演著核心作用,這些交易掩蓋了安然的財務狀況,讓法斯托獲利數千萬美元。他最終向兩個法庭認罪,繳納罰金3,000萬美元,并同意作為政府證人指控以前的上司們。 ????2011年出獄后,法斯托回到了休斯頓,也就是安然總部所在地,和他的妻子莉和兩個兒子團聚,過著低調的生活。今年51歲的法斯托在幫他打了民事官司的律師事務所做文件審核員,過著朝九晚五的生活。 ????法斯托已無償做過14次報告,大多數都是在大學里,通常不允許媒體參加。第一次是在科羅拉多大學博爾德分校(University of Colorado-Boulder)。讀過該分校商學院院長就職業道德發表的專欄文章后,法斯托主動提出給這所學校的學生做報告。隨后他又在塔夫斯大學(Tufts)、杜蘭大學(Tulane)和達特茅斯學院(Dartmouth)發表演說,還計劃今年秋天為一個聯合國團體做報告。 ????在拉斯維加斯,講臺上的法斯托身著休閑西服和開襟襯衣。他面色嚴肅,有時會停頓一下。他解釋說:“我不太習慣在這么多人面前發言。如果我覺得緊張,或者我顯得緊張的話,請你們諒解。” |
????"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Andrew Fastow!" ????He was an improbable Las Vegas headliner, taking the stage before a packed convention hall of 2,500 fraud examiners. ????For former Enron CFO Andy Fastow, who spent more than five years in federal prison for his crimes, last week's appearance before the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners was his most public step in an uphill redemptive journey -- to explain how he became a "fraudster;" to sound provocative warnings about today's corporate practices; and even to offer a bit of revisionism on the company's 2001 collapse. ????Fastow launched his talk with a broad mea culpa, introduced with a grim joke. "Several of you have commented to me that your organization has grown dramatically over the past 10 years," he said. "And they thank me. They said no other individual has been more responsible for the growth of your industry than me. So: You're welcome." ????The crowd roared. ????"It's not something I'm proud of," he added soberly, after the laughter had died down. ????Fastow was initially charged with 78 counts of fraud, mostly connected to his central role in a web of off-balance sheet entities that did business with Enron, disguised the company's financial condition, and made Fastow tens of millions. He ultimately pled guilty to two counts, forfeited $30 million, and agreed to testify against his former bosses as a government witness. ????Since leaving prison in 2011 and resuming life with his wife Lea and two sons in Houston, where Enron was based, Fastow has kept a low profile. Now 51, he works 9-to-5 as a document-review clerk at the law firm that represented him in civil litigation. ????Fastow has given 14 unpaid talks, mostly at universities, usually with no press allowed. The first came at the University of Colorado-Boulder. He volunteered to speak to students after reading a column on ethics by the dean of the business school. Fastow has also spoken at Tufts, Tulane, and Dartmouth and is scheduled to address a United Nations group in the fall. ????In Las Vegas, dressed in a blazer and open shirt, Fastow stood at the podium a bit grim-faced, his speech sometimes halting. "I'm not used to giving talk to groups this big," he explained. "I apologize to you if I feel nervous -- if I appear nervous." |