IS KEN LAY REALLY DEAD ?

I've been thinking - is it possible to construct a scenario in which Ken Lay did not really die of a heart attack right before he was to be sentenced to a long term in prison? Is it possible that he is at this moment relaxing on a tropical island from which there is no extradition? I think I've been reading too many spy stories. But it's been fun thinking of various ways this could have been accoomplished.

You remember Ken Lay - "Kenny Boy" President Bush called him. He was the creator of Enron and presided over all the financial fraud that we think of when that name is mentioned. At his trial he said he really didn't know anything about what was going on, but the jury wasn't in the least bit sympathetic. He was headed for sentencing, which was predicted to be at least 15 years in prison. In the interim before sentencing the Lays were vacationing in Aspen (!) One night he reported chest pain , an ambulance was called, and shortly after was declared dead. An autopsy was performed by a Coroner from another county, cremation followed and that was that. Since he had not yet been sentenced, the conviction was vacated and all of Lay's assets were left intact. The death couldn't have come at a more opportune moment.

But what if Ken Lay didn't really die that night in Aspen? This scenario poses a lot of problems but it could be done. First of all, there was unlimited amounts of money to work with, and there was time. The criminal trial took years to prepare. Lesser culprits were tried first and as the whole thing began to fall, Lay could have anticipated the worst would happen when the prosecutors got around to him. So he had time, and money.

You have to have a body, but this doesn't seem impossible to obtain. Did anyone who actually knew Ken Lay see him lying deceased in the hospital, or ready for cremation? I don't think so. Remember this was a vacation spot, not Lay's hometown of Houston, where he was widely known. So it is possible to obtain another body but it would take some clever manipulation to carry this part off. Once the cremation is done, you're over the hump.

Lay had to surrender his passport while he was out on bail. If he was traveling in the normal way (and I assume that he would leave the country) you would either go undercover, or have a false passport. That's not impossible. With the time and the money he had, he could have prepared a suitable spot and cover story long before the heart attack. It could be done- but what a feat. It would make a great story. I hope it's not true.