HOUSTON, Dec. 25 (UPI) -- Negotiations between U.S. prosecutors and the former Enron chief accounting officer may produce a deal as early as this week, sources say.
It's not clear if an agreement can be reached, but sources said if it is, Rick Causey's cooperation with the government could be damaging to Enron co-defendants Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling, reported the Houston Chronicle Sunday.
Causey, Lay and Skilling have said they are innocent of multiple fraud and conspiracy charges.
Prosecutor Sean Berkowitz declined to comment to the Chronicle and an attorney for Causey could not be reached.
"I've talked to Rick Causey myself, and I don't believe he willfully did anything wrong," said Mike Ramsey, lead attorney for Lay. "I don't believe he would agree to plead guilty to a crime when he didn't commit one."
Causey could be an essential link between the government's star witness and former chief financial officer Andrew Fastow, Lay and Skilling.
