LittleSis: Bernie Ebbers

Bernard J. Ebbers, who built a modest Mississippi phone company into a telecommunications giant, WorldCom, but later went to jail after its collapse in one of the nation’s largest corporate scandals, died on Sunday at his home in Brookhaven, Miss. He was 78. His health had sharply deteriorated in recent months, his family said in a statement provided by his lawyer, Graham P. Carner, who confirmed the death. One of his daughters, Joy Ebbers Bourne, said in a court filing in October that Mr. Ebbers was “now experiencing full-blown dementia.” In March 2005, Bernie Ebbers, former CEO of WorldCom, was found guilty on nine counts of securities fraud and conspiracy involving an accounting scheme to bolster the company's apparent profitability. According to reports, the fraud began in 2000 and was revealed in 2002 in shareholder lawsuits. The fraud, estimated to be $11 billion, ultimately lead the company to file for bankruptcy in July 2002. Ebbers was sentenced to 25 years in prison and ordered to pay $45 million in restitution in July 2005. Canadian born Ebbers is currently serving his sentence in the Oakdale Federal Correctional Institution in Louisiana. Mr. Ebbers, who in 2005 was sentenced to 25 years in prison, was freed from a federal prison in Texas in December, having been granted compassionate release by a federal judge to spend his final months at home. He attended boarding school on a Navajo reservation after his family moved to California. He ended up receiving a basketball scholarship — he was 6-foot-4 tall — to Mississippi College, a private Baptist institution in Clinton, Miss. He graduated in 1967 with a degree in physical education. Mr. Ebbers married Linda Pigott in 1968, and they divorced in 1997. He and his second wife, Kristie Ebbers, who were married in 1999, divorced in 2008. He is survived by four daughters, Ave Easley, Treasure Ebbers Beeson, Joy Ebbers Bourne and Faith Ebbers Gates; three brothers, John, James and Stephen; a sister, Marion Olthuis; 12 grandchildren; and one great-grandson.

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Norm Brownstein	Bob Kerrey, William Thad Cochran, Jim Cooper, Orrin Hatch, Steny Hoyer, John Kerry, Patrick Leahy, Trent Lott, Ed Markey, John McCain, Debbie Stabenow, Conrad Burns, Mike DeWine, Fritz Hollings, Charles Spittal Robb, Al D’Amato, John Wiley Bryant, Larry Pressler, Bill Clinton, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Mike Synar, Blanche L Lincoln, Kent Conrad
Thomas A Davis	Bob Kerrey, William Thad Cochran, Orrin Hatch, Patrick Leahy, Trent Lott, Ed Markey, John McCain, Debbie Stabenow, Roger Wicker, Conrad Burns, Michael Garver Oxley, Fred Dalton Thompson, Bill McCollum, Charles Spittal Robb, Al D’Amato, Larry Pressler, Bill Clinton, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, George H W Bush, Daniel L Schaefer, Mike Synar, Blanche L Lincoln, Kent Conrad
James L Barksdale	Bob Kerrey, William Thad Cochran, Orrin Hatch, John Kerry, Patrick Leahy, Trent Lott, Ed Markey, John McCain, Charles W Pickering Jr, Bennie Thompson, Roger Wicker, Conrad Burns, Michael Garver Oxley, Fritz Hollings, Fred Dalton Thompson, Al D’Amato, Larry Pressler, Republican National Committee, George H W Bush, Billy Tauzin, Mississippi Republican Party
Stu Van Scoyoc	William Thad Cochran, Orrin Hatch, Jim Inhofe, Patrick Leahy, Trent Lott, Ed Markey, John McCain, Charles W Pickering Jr, Roger Wicker, Conrad Burns, Mike DeWine, Michael Garver Oxley, Fritz Hollings, Al D’Amato, Larry Pressler, Bill Clinton, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Blanche L Lincoln, Kent Conrad, National Republican Congressional Cmte
Amy Rothschild Friedkin	Bob Kerrey, Steny Hoyer, Jim Inhofe, John Kerry, Patrick Leahy, Ed Markey, John McCain, Debbie Stabenow, Roger Wicker, Conrad Burns, Mike DeWine, Fritz Hollings, Fred Dalton Thompson, Bill McCollum, Charles Spittal Robb, Al D’Amato, Bill Clinton, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Blanche L Lincoln, Kent Conrad
Leon Black	Bob Kerrey, Orrin Hatch, Jim Inhofe, John Kerry, Patrick Leahy, Ed Markey, John McCain, Debbie Stabenow, Conrad Burns, Mike DeWine, Fritz Hollings, Charles Spittal Robb, Al D’Amato, Larry Pressler, Bill Clinton, Republican National Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Mike Synar, Blanche L Lincoln, Kent Conrad
John Catsimatidis	Bob Kerrey, Orrin Hatch, John Kerry, Patrick Leahy, Trent Lott, Ed Markey, John McCain, Roger Wicker, Conrad Burns, Fritz Hollings, Fred Dalton Thompson, Al D’Amato, Bill Clinton, Republican National Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, George H W Bush, Mississippi Republican Party, Mississippi Democratic Party, Kent Conrad, National Republican Congressional Cmte
Richard D Fain	Bob Kerrey, Orrin Hatch, Steny Hoyer, John Kerry, Trent Lott, John McCain, Charles W Pickering Jr, Roger Wicker, Conrad Burns, Fritz Hollings, Bill McCollum, Al D’Amato, Jack Milton Fields Jr, Larry Pressler, Republican National Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, George H W Bush, Billy Tauzin, Blanche L Lincoln, National Republican Congressional Cmte
James E Smith	Bob Kerrey, William Thad Cochran, Jim Cooper, Orrin Hatch, Steny Hoyer, John Kerry, Patrick Leahy, Ed Markey, John McCain, Bennie Thompson, Conrad Burns, Fred Dalton Thompson, Bill McCollum, Al D’Amato, Larry Pressler, Republican National Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, George H W Bush, Mike Synar, Kent Conrad
Debra Ressler Black	Bob Kerrey, Orrin Hatch, Jim Inhofe, John Kerry, Patrick Leahy, Ed Markey, John McCain, Debbie Stabenow, Conrad Burns, Mike DeWine, Fritz Hollings, Charles Spittal Robb, Al D’Amato, Bill Clinton, Republican National Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Mike Synar, Blanche L Lincoln, Kent Conrad
Leo Hindery Jr	Bob Kerrey, Orrin Hatch, John Kerry, Patrick Leahy, Ed Markey, John McCain, Debbie Stabenow, Conrad Burns, Michael Garver Oxley, Fritz Hollings, Fred Dalton Thompson, Charles Spittal Robb, Al D’Amato, Jack Milton Fields Jr, Larry Pressler, Republican National Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, George H W Bush, Kent Conrad
Bennett S Lebow	Bob Kerrey, Orrin Hatch, John Kerry, Patrick Leahy, Ed Markey, John McCain, Debbie Stabenow, Conrad Burns, Mike DeWine, Fritz Hollings, Charles Spittal Robb, Al D’Amato, Larry Pressler, Bill Clinton, Republican National Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Mississippi Republican Party, Blanche L Lincoln, Kent Conrad
Melvin A Dow	Bob Kerrey, Orrin Hatch, Steny Hoyer, Jim Inhofe, John Kerry, Patrick Leahy, Trent Lott, John McCain, Roger Wicker, Conrad Burns, Mike DeWine, Fritz Hollings, Charles Spittal Robb, Jack Milton Fields Jr, Larry Pressler, Bill Clinton, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Mike Synar, Blanche L Lincoln
Micky Arison	Orrin Hatch, Steny Hoyer, Patrick Leahy, Trent Lott, Ed Markey, John McCain, Charles W Pickering Jr, Bennie Thompson, Roger Wicker, Conrad Burns, Fritz Hollings, Fred Dalton Thompson, Charles Spittal Robb, Al D’Amato, John Wiley Bryant, Larry Pressler, Republican National Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Billy Tauzin
Claudia James	Bob Kerrey, Jim Cooper, John Kerry, Patrick Leahy, Ed Markey, John McCain, Charles W Pickering Jr, Debbie Stabenow, Mike DeWine, Fritz Hollings, Charles Spittal Robb, John Wiley Bryant, Larry Pressler, Bill Clinton, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Billy Tauzin, Mike Synar, Blanche L Lincoln, Kent Conrad
Thomas Boggs	Bob Kerrey, Orrin Hatch, Steny Hoyer, John Kerry, Patrick Leahy, Ed Markey, Debbie Stabenow, Bennie Thompson, Fritz Hollings, Charles Spittal Robb, John Wiley Bryant, Bill Clinton, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Billy Tauzin, Mike Synar, Mike Parker, Blanche L Lincoln, Kent Conrad
Ronald Platt	Bob Kerrey, William Thad Cochran, Orrin Hatch, Steny Hoyer, John Kerry, Patrick Leahy, Charles W Pickering Jr, Debbie Stabenow, Conrad Burns, Fritz Hollings, Charles Spittal Robb, John Wiley Bryant, Larry Pressler, Bill Clinton, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Mike Synar, Blanche L Lincoln, Kent Conrad
Ronald L Platt	Bob Kerrey, William Thad Cochran, Orrin Hatch, Steny Hoyer, John Kerry, Patrick Leahy, Charles W Pickering Jr, Debbie Stabenow, Conrad Burns, Fritz Hollings, Charles Spittal Robb, John Wiley Bryant, Larry Pressler, Bill Clinton, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Mike Synar, Blanche L Lincoln, Kent Conrad
Jonathan M Tisch	Bob Kerrey, Jim Cooper, Steny Hoyer, John Kerry, Patrick Leahy, Debbie Stabenow, Conrad Burns, Fritz Hollings, Charles Spittal Robb, Al D’Amato, Larry Pressler, Bill Clinton, Republican National Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, George H W Bush, Mississippi Democratic Party, Blanche L Lincoln, Kent Conrad
Daniel C Tate Jr	William Thad Cochran, Jim Cooper, Orrin Hatch, Steny Hoyer, John Kerry, Patrick Leahy, Ed Markey, Debbie Stabenow, Michael Garver Oxley, Fritz Hollings, Fred Dalton Thompson, Charles Spittal Robb, Bill Clinton, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Billy Tauzin, Mike Synar, Blanche L Lincoln, Kent Conrad

Donor

Common Recipients

Norm Brownstein