HOUSTON — One of the men behind one of Houston’s biggest scandals is out of prison after serving more than 14 years behind bars.
Former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling will be moved to a halfway house to serve out the last few months of his sentence.
For instance, one of downtown Houston’s most recognizable skyscrapers sits at 1400 Smith Street.
It is now the home of Chevron USA.
However, until 2006, it was home to Enron and was led by founder Kenneth Lay and Skilling who served as CEO.
Phillip Hilder represented Sherron Watkins during the Enron saga.
Watkins is the woman who brought this whole situation to light.
Hilder said, “Everywhere you went whether you were established, new to town, wealthy, poor; the Enron name and/or Mr. Lay’s name was on just about everything.”
Enron went bankrupt, and Lay and Skilling were later convicted of defrauding investors.
Hilder called Enron's fall "a very serious blow to the city.”
Lay died before going to prison.
Skilling was first sentenced to 24 years but it was cut to 14.
He will be transferred to a halfway house.
“What that halfway house does, it allows the individual to readjust slowly into society,” Hilder said.
He believes Skilling has served his time and paid his debt to society, but doesn’t think everyone feels the same way.
"I do think that those who have lost their investments, their retirement I think that they will never forget or forgive," Hilder said.
Hilder does think Skilling will have a hard time readjusting to society.
“I don’t think having served a period of time like that your life will ever be completely normal,” Hilder said. “People will have mistrust of him. He will have a hard time finding employment.”
He said this closes a dark chapter in city’s history.
Skilling will be assigned a halfway house.
Hilder said people are assigned to a halfway houses in the city they lived in.