Saturday, March 15, 2008

Extra Cash? Please send . . .

by Kathryn Casey

Okay, we need to pass the plate for Linda Lay, widow of the Enron debacle’s chief crook, Ken. This is the Ken Lay who was convicted but then had the audacity to die before he even started serving his sentence. Since he had no time to appeal (Laws are convoluted at times, don’t ya think?), the conviction was set aside. At the center of the current controversy is the family high-rise, Linda’s home sweet home, and some of the most expensive real estate in Houston, Texas.

What’s that old theme song? You know, the one from "The Jeffersons"? Sing it with me: We’re moving on up, to the big time, to a deluxe apartment in the skyyyyyyyy. . . .

Well, that’s what the Lays did during the flush Enron years, when Ken’s ill-gotten gains flooded in like a tropical storm and Space City was their playground. Linda and Ken, then darlings of the social set, bought a condo on the 33rd floor of the tony Huntingdon (pictured above), with four bedrooms, four bathrooms, three half-baths, and four fireplaces now valued at $4.75 million. Linda’s current dilemma is that first the government filed suit on the estate for $13 million, including the condo. Now, alas, there’s also the little matter of more than $100,000 in unpaid condo fees. To add to the widow Lay’s problems, the condo board has also filed suit, threatening to take away her 12,827-square-foot abode.

Now is that fair?

Of course, this is the same woman who appeared on national television early in the Enron catastrophe crying: “We’ve lost it all.” At the time, we later learned, the Lays owned dozens of homes all over the country and the world. I’ve got the feeling that Linda’s definition of being hard up doesn’t quite mesh with regular families’ budget woes?

So start passing that plate. Linda Lay needs help! I’ll donate, as soon as I find a couple million extra I don’t need for house payment or groceries.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is hard to feel anything but anger for people like this. I remember seeing them on the news carrying some of their treasures into a consignment shop. Poor, poor, Mrs. Lay.

Anonymous said...

Well, I was going to leave a long comment, but I can't see to type for the tears.

Unbelievable, some people.

Kathryn Casey said...

I know what you both mean. There are so many folks I legitimately feel sorry for, including the many who lost their pensions due to the Enron collapse. Linda Lay isn't one of them.

Anonymous said...

BTW, I wonder how much life insurance Ken left her. That cannot be touched by government unless his death was fradulent.

Anonymous said...

What could be more fraudulent than dying before justice can be served?

Jan C said...

I had to put down my violin to find a box of tissues.

Kathryn Casey said...

I have a box of tissues here, Jan, if you run out. LOL.

Wicked sense of humor, Anon....

Anonymous said...

Ms. Casey you are right, she doesn't know what it is to really be in a bind & need help. She doesn't have a clue.

Nikki said...

I was wondering the same thing about insurance and curious to know if she gets anything from social security?

This 'poor me' act is really ridiculous. When she's living in a shack and driving around town in a Pinto maybe, just maybe, I'll feel for her. Until then, I say... "Boo-hoo lady!"

Anonymous said...

A lot of people don't think he is dead - that he used his money to buy his way out of the country. Maybe she should go join him.

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