Enron prosecutor named Colorado First Assistant U.S. Attorney

Rocky Mountain News

Published August 23, 2006 at midnight

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U.S. Attorney Troy Eid named Cliff Stricklin, a former judge and Enron federal prosecutor, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado.

Stricklin was selected after Eid conducted a nationwide search to identify his number two prosecutor for the District of Colorado, according to spokesman Jeff Dorschner.

In addition to his duties as first assistant, Eid has named Stricklin to be the lead prosecutor in the case of the United States v. Joseph Nacchio.

Stricklin most recently served on the Enron Task Force where he was one of four attorneys to present evidence in the trial against former Enron executives Jeff Skilling and the late Kenneth Lay.

He was also the co-lead prosecutor in the securities and accounting fraud case against five executives from Enron’s broadband division.

Prior to joining the Enron Task Force, Stricklin was a state district judge in Dallas, Texas, where for four years he presided over felony criminal cases ranging from fraud and narcotic crimes to murder cases.

Each of his cases that was appealed was affirmed at the appellate level.

In 2002, his fellow district court judges elected Stricklin to the position of presiding judge, a position he held until returning to the Department of Justice.

Eid wanted to find an experienced trial attorney to lead the team prosecuting Joseph Nacchio.

"I have full confidence in Cliff Stricklin," Eid said. "Cliff’s extraordinary background, including his work on the Enron Task Force, makes him the ideal leader to handle the Joseph Nacchio case while serving Colorado as First Assistant U.S. Attorney."

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