Jordan Mintz
Encyclopedia
Enron whistleblower Jordan Mintz was the former Managing Director for Corporate Tax at Enron Corporation. Mintz began working at Enron in 1997, where he started as Vice President for Tax at Enron North America, formerly Enron Capital and Trade. He became Vice President and General Counsel for Enron Global Finance from October 2000 until November 2001. He now works at Kinder Morgan Energy Partners as Vice President and Chief Tax Officer. He has also served as Senior Vice President for Tax at Centex Corporation, Partner at Bracewell & Giuliani
and Senior Tax Attorney at Exxon Corporation. He holds an LLM from New York University School of Law, a J.D. from Boston University School of Law and a B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania. He has five children: Evan, Ally, Andrew, Nicky, and Emery.
Mintz was also known for writing a memo to Andrew Fastow
(Chief Financial Officer
) in 2000, concerning some "sweetheart" deals in favor of Mr. Fastow three months before Sherron Watkins
wrote her memo, raising red flags about the growing number of improperly leveraged partnerships. In addition to expressing his concerns with Enron's business practices, he also proposed many solutions to fix the problems.
In 2002, Mintz testified before Congress, explaining that he tried in vain to ensure that Enron's deals were properly vetted by all necessary executives — including former CEO Jeff Skilling.
On March 28, 2007, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil complaint against Mintz, claiming that he participated in fraud in 2001 by arranging murky disclosures of Enron's repurchase of a money-losing Brazilian power plant from a partnership run by former finance chief Andrew Fastow. Mintz's lawyer, Christopher Mead of Washington, said that Mintz will fight the charges vigorously, reminding reporters:"If you can find anyone at Enron who did more to regulate the relationship between Andy Fastow and Enron, please let me know who that is."
This complaint by the SEC came as a surprise, since Mintz was praised as a whistleblower and even considered a "hero" by followers of the Enron scandal
. He was also described as a David character standing up to the Goliath of Fastow, and as man for whom right and wrong are as simple to tell apart as black and white.
Mintz resolved these charges, admitting no wrongdoing. As part of this resolution, he was banned from practicing before the SEC for two years and will pay $25,000 civil fines and $1 in disgorgement.
Bracewell & Giuliani
Bracewell & Giuliani LLP is an international law firm based in Houston, Texas, that began in 1945. The firm has over 470 lawyers, and has United States offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Hartford, San Antonio, Seattle, Dallas, and Austin, and overseas offices in Dubai, and London...
and Senior Tax Attorney at Exxon Corporation. He holds an LLM from New York University School of Law, a J.D. from Boston University School of Law and a B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania. He has five children: Evan, Ally, Andrew, Nicky, and Emery.
Work as an Enron Whistleblower
Upon moving to the Finance Department, Mintz recognized many problems at Enron and "took matters into his own hands," hiring outside legal counsel to evaluate Enron's business practices.Mintz was also known for writing a memo to Andrew Fastow
Andrew Fastow
Andrew Stuart Fastow was the chief financial officer of Enron Corporation that was based in Houston, Texas until the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission opened an investigation into his and the company's conduct in 2001...
(Chief Financial Officer
Chief financial officer
The chief financial officer or Chief financial and operating officer is a corporate officer primarily responsible for managing the financial risks of the corporation. This officer is also responsible for financial planning and record-keeping, as well as financial reporting to higher management...
) in 2000, concerning some "sweetheart" deals in favor of Mr. Fastow three months before Sherron Watkins
Sherron Watkins
Sherron Watkins was Vice President of Corporate Development at the Enron Corporation. She is considered by many to be the whistleblower who helped to uncover the Enron scandal in 2001....
wrote her memo, raising red flags about the growing number of improperly leveraged partnerships. In addition to expressing his concerns with Enron's business practices, he also proposed many solutions to fix the problems.
In 2002, Mintz testified before Congress, explaining that he tried in vain to ensure that Enron's deals were properly vetted by all necessary executives — including former CEO Jeff Skilling.
On March 28, 2007, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil complaint against Mintz, claiming that he participated in fraud in 2001 by arranging murky disclosures of Enron's repurchase of a money-losing Brazilian power plant from a partnership run by former finance chief Andrew Fastow. Mintz's lawyer, Christopher Mead of Washington, said that Mintz will fight the charges vigorously, reminding reporters:"If you can find anyone at Enron who did more to regulate the relationship between Andy Fastow and Enron, please let me know who that is."
This complaint by the SEC came as a surprise, since Mintz was praised as a whistleblower and even considered a "hero" by followers of the Enron scandal
Enron scandal
The Enron scandal, revealed in October 2001, eventually led to the bankruptcy of the Enron Corporation, an American energy company based in Houston, Texas, and the dissolution of Arthur Andersen, which was one of the five largest audit and accountancy partnerships in the world...
. He was also described as a David character standing up to the Goliath of Fastow, and as man for whom right and wrong are as simple to tell apart as black and white.
Mintz resolved these charges, admitting no wrongdoing. As part of this resolution, he was banned from practicing before the SEC for two years and will pay $25,000 civil fines and $1 in disgorgement.