On the FBI's list of its most famous cases, JFK's assassination, Watergate, 911, it's the only corporate name Here's a measure of just how big a deal Enron was. He maintained his innocence, but he spent more than a decade in prison. In perhaps the highest profile corporate fraud trial in US history, former CEO Jeff Skilling was convicted.

The CFO, chief accounting officer, treasurer, and more than a dozen others pleaded guilty. The Justice Department launched an epic criminal probe. Congressional committees rushed to investigate. John Emshwiller: And that was just the beginning. Speaker 3: This was my life savings, my nest egg. John Emshwiller: Within weeks, tens of billions of dollars. Rebecca Smith: Its list of creditors was 54 single-space pages. It's been 20 years now since Enron fell into bankruptcy.

There's one that stuck with me more than any other. For four decades, I was a Wall Street Journal reporter. John Emshwiller: My name is John Emshwiller. This version may not be in its final form and may be updated. This transcript was prepared by a transcription service.

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