Ex-Enron trader to plead guilty to fraud

A former Enron energy trading operation employee has agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to commit fraud in alleged schemes …

A former Enron energy trading operation employee has agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to commit fraud in alleged schemes to boost electricity prices during California's energy crisis, sources familiar with the case said today.

They said Mr Timothy Belden, who was employed by Enron at its West Power Trading Division in Portland, Oregon, agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for a series of allegedly fraudulent schemes involving the California electricity markets.

A hearing has been scheduled in federal court in San Francisco for Mr Belden to enter the guilty plea today, the sources said.