Overview

Lea Weingarten Fastow served as an assistant treasurer at Enron Corporation, where she worked alongside her husband Andrew Fastow. The daughter of Miriam Hadar Weingarten, a former Miss Israel (1958), Lea met Andrew at Tufts University. Both earned MBAs from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and briefly worked together at Continental Illinois National Bank in Chicago before joining Enron. Lea Fastow was initially indicted on six felony counts including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and filing fraudulent tax returns. Prosecutors alleged she helped her husband conceal income generated through his management of the LJM partnerships, named after herself and their two sons (Lea, Jeffrey, Matthew). The original plea bargain called for five months imprisonment and five months home detention, but U.S. District Judge David Hittner rejected the deal as too lenient and imposed a full 12-month prison sentence. She entered the Federal Detention Center in Houston on July 12, 2004. Her conviction was part of the broader prosecution of Fastow family finances, Andrew had personally profited $45 million from partnerships designed to hide Enron's massive debt. Because both parents faced imprisonment, their two sons were temporarily cared for by family members. Lea's case illustrates how Enron's fraud extended beyond the executive suite into family finances and tax evasion.

Key Affiliations

Controversies & Concerns

Related Investigations (1)

Known Associates & Connections

Sources & Documentation

3 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports