Statement of Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman James Newsome regarding the Justice Department’s announcement today of Enron’s chief energy trader’s agreement to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud (in a scheme with others at Enron Corporation to manipulate California’s energy market):

“Today’s guilty plea by Enron’s chief energy trader underscores the inter-agency cooperative effort now underway and is what President Bush intended in forming the Corporate Fraud Task Force, of which the CFTC is a member. Let me add that the guilty plea does not in any way impede the CFTC’s ability to continue our investigation into Enron’s trading activities.”

# # #