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 HOUSTON (AP) - The poise, the smile and welcoming hand gestures to the jury that Enron Corp.'s former investors relations vice president displayed as a witness in the fraud and conspiracy trial of two former top executives vanished almost immediately as attention focused on her wealth.
Three days before Enron filed for bankruptcy protection in December 2001, the company was hemorrhaging cash and thousands were about to be laid off. But former investors relations vice president Paula Rieker picked up a $300,000 performance bonus to stay at Enron for 90 days on top of the $3.1 million she earned that year and $2.9 million she was paid the previous year.
The bonus, noted Thursday at the trial of former Enron Chief Executive Jeffrey Skilling and company founder Kenneth Lay, was supposed to be confidential.
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