ENRONIn 2000 Enron was the world's leading natural gas company with an estimated sales value of approximately one hundred billion dollars, and the company was showing only signs of progress. Within a year the company was completely bankrupt and forty of its key employees were arrested or are in prison awaiting trial. How could a multinational company with ever-increasing revenues take such a drastic fall into bankruptcy and how could no one expect it? Ultimately Enron knew exactly what was in their future and hid it from the public by assigning their debt and with a loophole in the accounting, it turned out to be one of the largest cover-ups in the history of stock markets. In 1985, Houston Natural Gas merged with InterNorth, which became what we know today as Enron. Over the next few years they had become one of the largest natural gas traders in the world and eventually branched out into coal and steel. Enron's success exploded onto the scene with a catastrophic increase in sales and revenues that rivaled some of the most powerful companies, such as Microsoft and Exxon Mobil. Between 1996 and 2000 their revenue increased from 13.3 billion to 100.8 billion (Fowler). This was an astronomical increase and almost seemed too good to be true. As the company grew in size, power, and prestige, Enron began to engage in increasingly complicated contracts and commitments. Illegal, off-balance sheet transactions and partnerships helped hide Enron's growing debt problem. By the time investors, employees, and the public learned of the company's crisis, the downward spiral was virtually unstoppable. Although Enron's executives were ruthless entrepreneurs, they were very good and precise at what they did... halfway. .....Effery Skilling's former CEO and COO have both been charged with bank fraud, securities fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. To date there have been over forty arrests with eighteen guilty pleas and four jury convictions along with trials still pending (prorated). Oppel, Richard A., Jr and Alex Berenson. "Enron CEO quits after just 6 months on the job. (Jeffrey Skilling)." The New York Times (August 15, 2001) Fowler, Tom “Enron's Implosion Was Far From Sudden” Houston Chronicle (December 20, 2005) Berenson, Alex and Richard A. Oppel Jr. “The Once-Mighty Enron , strives under scrutiny." The New York Times (October 28, 2001) John Porretto. “Former Enron Broadband Chief Convicted,” AP, June 18, 2007. Berenson, Alex. "Self-inflicted wound deepens anxiety about Enron. (Statistics included)." The New York Times (Sept) 9, 2001)