Bernard Ebbers: Former WorldCom CEO Convicted in Massive Accounting Frau

Bernard Ebbers was a Canadian-born American businessman who built the telecommunications giant WorldCom and was later convicted of fraud in one of the largest corporate scandals in American history. Born Bernard John Ebbers on August 27, 1941, in Edmonton, Alberta, he moved to Mississippi to attend college.

Ebbers co-founded Long Distance Discount Services in 1983 and became CEO in 1985. Through more than 60 acquisitions, including MCI in 1998, the company became WorldCom. After the tech bubble burst, he resigned in April 2002, and WorldCom admitted to billions of dollars in accounting misstatements before filing for bankruptcy in July 2002. The total fraud was later estimated at about $11 billion.

A jury convicted Ebbers in March 2005 of conspiracy, securities fraud and filing false statements, and he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He began serving his sentence in 2006 and was released in December 2019 because of declining health. He married Linda Pigott in 1968, and they had three daughters. He died at his home in Brookhaven, Mississippi, on February 2, 2020, at age 78.

Achievements: Co-founded Long Distance Discount Services (1983), built WorldCom through acquisitions including MCI (1998), convicted of fraud (2005), sentenced to 25 years (2005).

Birth: August 27, 1941 - Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Profession: Telecommunications executive.

Interesting Facts: Known as the "Telecom Cowboy," he was a former high school basketball coach and a motel owner before building WorldCom.