The Plot Thickens

By Michele Orecklin With Reporting by Jyoti Thottam/Houston

The Enron scandal is producing new revelations and allegations almost every day. Here are a few of the most recent ones:

--RAIDING THE HEALTH FUND? Who benefited from Enron's employee-benefits fund? It wasn't just the company's workers, according to Robin Hosea, a former accountant in the benefits department. Hosea's lawyer, Randy McClanahan, confirms what Hosea first told CBS News: in early 2001 Hosea noticed suspicious payments made from the fund in 2000 that hadn't been approved by anyone in her department. She said those payments, totaling roughly $15 million, went for unspecified purposes that had nothing to do with employee benefits. Her superiors stonewalled efforts to trace the payments. In addition, Hosea found evidence of checks written for consulting services. When she questioned her superiors, she was told the payments were made to friends of top executives and she should "leave it there." An Enron spokesperson said the company is looking into the allegations. McClanahan says Hosea retained evidence that has been turned over to government authorities.

--PLAY BALL Bankrupt Enron wouldn't seem to have a lot of extra cash to throw around these days. But last week it made a $90,000 payment for its box-seat tickets at Enron Field, home to the Houston Astros, and on Jan. 22 it remitted $108,000 for a luxury suite. Both payments are required as part of the 1999 deal in which Enron agreed to pay $100 million for naming rights to the stadium for the next 30 years. Enron says it is merely honoring its contractual obligation. However, it has forfeited on another contractual obligation--$200,000 a year for 10 years to support after-school activities through a Houston-area Boys & Girls Club.

--TRADING PLACES How far did Enron go to misrepresent its business? According to the Wall Street Journal, Enron in 1998 asked 75 people, from secretaries to sales reps, to relocate to an otherwise barren trading floor and pretend to buy and sell energy contracts to impress visiting Wall Street analysts. As the analysts trooped through, the Enron employees, who had hurriedly outfitted their new work spaces with family photos and other personal items, conducted fake phone conversations and tried to appear busy. When the tour ended, former CEO Ken Lay reportedly returned to compliment the employees on their performance and explain that it was important that the analysts believe the trading unit was well organized so the company would earn a favorable credit rating.

--By Michele Orecklin. With reporting by Jyoti Thottam/Houston