Disgraced former Worldcom Chief Executive Bernard Ebbers will be released early from prison because of health reasons (STAN HONDA)
<p>New York (AFP) – Disgraced former Worldcom chief executive Bernard Ebbers will be released from prison early due to his poor health, a US prosecutor in Manhattan said Wednesday.</p><p>Ebbers, 78, has served about 13 years of his original 25-year sentence following his 2005 conviction as the mastermind of one of the biggest accounting frauds in history.</p><p>Worldcom went under in 2002 following an $11 billion fraud scheme that was part of a wave of scandals in the early 2000s that spurred new anti-corruption laws in the US Congress.</p><p>Ebbers’ family had sought a compassionate early release, saying he suffered severe mental and physical deterioration and experienced drastic loss of weight this year.</p><p>Prosecutors argued that Ebbers, who has been imprisoned in Fort Worth, Texas, had exaggerated his mental deterioration. </p><p></p>

Disclaimer: Validity of the above story is for 7 Days from original date of publishing. Source: AFP.