STATEMENT OF ATTORNEY GENERAL ALBERTO R. GONZALES ON THE BERNARD EBBERS CONVICTION

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales today issued the following statement on the guilty verdicts in the trial of former WorldCom Chief Executive Bernard Ebbers:

“Today’s verdict is a triumph of our legal system and the application of our nation’s laws against those who breach them. We are satisfied the jury saw what we did in this case: that fraud at WorldCom extended from the middle-management levels of this company, all the way to its top executive.

“The President’s Corporate Fraud Task Force will continue to work to ensure justice for the workers and shareholders who lost billions of dollars to this fraud. We will also continue to work with those corporate leaders and CEOs whose exemplary ethical standards and transparent business models have helped build and fortify a nation’s trust in our economy.

“I commend the work of United States Attorney David Kelley and the many prosecutors, agents and professionals who worked countless hours to weed through and decipher this complex fraud.”

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