Who was convicted as the chief executive of WorldCom during its 2002 accounting scandal?

Bernard Ebbers was convicted as the chief executive of WorldCom during its 2002 accounting scandal.

Ebbers helped build WorldCom into a major U.S. telecommunications company through aggressive acquisitions. Under his leadership, executives improperly treated billions of dollars in ordinary operating costs as capital investments, making the company appear more profitable than it was.

WorldCom filed for bankruptcy protection in July 2002, then the largest such filing in U.S. history at the time. Investigators said the accounting fraud involved approximately $11 billion in misstated expenses. Ebbers resigned as CEO in April 2002 and was later convicted on charges including securities fraud, conspiracy, and false filings.

He received a 25-year federal prison sentence in 2005, though it was later reduced and he was released early because of ill health. WorldCom subsequently emerged from bankruptcy as MCI.