# Skilling to turn himself in **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 13, 2006, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skilling-to-turn-himself-in/383998 "2006-12-13T18:34:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2006, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skilling-to-turn-himself-in/383998/1 "2006-12-13T18:34:01Z")
Skilling for his part in the greedy days of Enron got 24 years. He is supposed to turn himself in. Even if jail is with room service ,why the hell didn,t he run. What are they going to do throw him in jail. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2006, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skilling-to-turn-himself-in/383998/2 "2006-12-13T18:44:21Z")
I’d imagine that he had to turn his passport in. I’d also imagine that he weighed the risks of being caught (high profile case) with the benefits of living on the lamb. I’d also imagine that getting caught and sent to the poky would land him in a non-room-service facility, something else that would weigh in his decision. Imagine that, Rhythm ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2006, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skilling-to-turn-himself-in/383998/3 "2006-12-13T18:58:18Z")
Where would he hide? Would he have the skills to successfully hide? ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2006, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skilling-to-turn-himself-in/383998/4 "2006-12-13T19:24:18Z")
With 24 years ahead and money stashed ,I would sure try. Its a big world and the rich can get things done. Bribery etc. Some of the Natzi lived a long and they were hunted. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2006, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skilling-to-turn-himself-in/383998/5 "2006-12-13T19:40:38Z")
Running can also lead to additional charges, which in turn, lead to additional prison time. I also imagine his assets were frozen, so he no longer has access to them. Besides which, the US has extradition treaties in most first-world countries, so Skilling would have to live somewhere like North Korea to avoid being returned to the US. And this assumes he can even leave the country without a passport or under an assumed name. All in all, it’s better to face the music and be done with it. Robin ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2006, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skilling-to-turn-himself-in/383998/6 "2006-12-13T20:08:38Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] With 24 years ahead and money stashed ,I would sure try. [/QUOTE] Keep in mind, it’s highly doubtful he’ll serve all 24 years. Look at the last big financial scandal, the Savings and Loan collapse of the late 80s. Charles Keating received 10 and 12 year sentences; he served 4 1/2, the sentences were overturned, and he worked out a plea bargain for later charges (pled guilty and was sentenced to time already served). [QUOTE=gonzomax] Its a big world and the rich can get things done. [/QUOTE] I’m sure he’ll spend some of that money in the legal arena with lots of appeals. No way he stays in jail 24 years. By the way, since this is all speculation, and no factual answer is possible unless Skilling drops by to post, shouldn’t this thread be somewhere other than GQ? ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2006, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skilling-to-turn-himself-in/383998/7 "2006-12-13T21:50:12Z")
I just read in the Washington Post this morning that Charles Skilling turned himself in. Further, he can receive 54 days a year off of his sentence for good behavior. I guess roughly, 2 years? The article said that he’s looking at serving the majority of his sentence, unless his attorney can appeal his conviction. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2006, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skilling-to-turn-himself-in/383998/8 "2006-12-13T22:27:22Z")
It isn’t unheard of for white-collar criminal suspects to go on the lam in foreign parts. Kobi Alexander, the former Comverse CEO, fled to Namibia just before he was indicted. There is no formal extradition treaty with the US, but Namibia is trying to kick him out anyway. Alexander, currently out of Namibian jail on bail, has enough (ill-gotten?) wealth to hire the best lawyers and make the judicial process there drag on for years. ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2006, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skilling-to-turn-himself-in/383998/9 "2006-12-13T23:46:54Z")
This really isn’t a proper GQ, because we don’t have a factual answer to “why didn’t he run?”. All we have is our own speculation. I, for one, speculate that he may be advised or aware of a way to mitigate or reduce his sentence — and there are myriad ways, up to and including a full Presidential pardon from a lame duck who, let’s face it, doesn’t have much to lose in the court of public opinion at this point — and those ways would be more difficult to pull off should Skilling skip the country. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skilling-to-turn-himself-in/383998/10 "2006-12-14T00:31:15Z")
I must agree that there is no answerable General Question here. Moved to IMHO. **samclem** ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skilling-to-turn-himself-in/383998/11 "2006-12-14T13:42:49Z")
This morning’s _Washington Post_ article also said that the standard in the Federal prison system is for inmates to serve at least 85% of the upper bound of their sentences. So assuming he doesn’t get charges thrown out or sentence reduced, he’ll be in the big house for at least 20 years. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skilling-to-turn-himself-in/383998/12 "2006-12-14T16:08:17Z")
Dave Chappelle had an interesting skit on how big crimes are different for whites than they are for blacks and what it’d be like if the roles were reversed and the white collar criminal were treated like the poor got. It rings alarmingly true in this instance. I’m sure it’s on YouTube, but I can’t seartch it because I’m at work right now. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skilling-to-turn-himself-in/383998/13 "2006-12-14T16:32:05Z")
[QUOTE=Rhythmdvl] I’d imagine that he had to turn his passport in. I’d also imagine that he weighed the risks of being caught (high profile case) with the benefits of living on the lamb. [/QUOTE] Plus, realistically speaking, how long can one lamb last, anyway? He’d be starving inside of a fortnight. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skilling-to-turn-himself-in/383998/14 "2006-12-14T17:07:57Z")
That’s mutton to joke about. That’s a serious question. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skilling-to-turn-himself-in/383998/15 "2006-12-14T19:22:58Z")
I’d like living on lamb very much. It’s my favorite of meats, when properly prepared. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skilling-to-turn-himself-in/383998/16 "2006-12-14T21:09:27Z")
Quit it with the puns, or we mods will have a beef with you.