Enron ex-chief may leave prison early Jeffrey Skilling, the convicted former chief executive of Enron, could be released early from his 24-year prison sentence as his lawyers negotiate with the US Department of Justice. DoJ published a notice to Enron victims in two newspapers on Wednesday saying it was "considering entering into a sentencing agreement" with Skilling and asked victims, including shareholders and former employees of the energy group, to weigh in by April 17. No agreement has been reached, a person familiar with the matter said. Skilling was sentenced in 2006 after his conviction on 18 counts of securities fraud and conspiracy charges for the accounting scheme that toppled Enron into the then-largest bankruptcy in US history. He was ordered to pay $45m in restitution to victims of the fraud. Enron, which was once the US's seventh-largest corporation with a market value of more than $68bn, stunned investors by collapsing into bankruptcy in 2001 following revelations that the former chief financial officer was a principal in a series of off-balance sheet partnerships that disguised the company's financial condition. The company's downfall led to the loss of thousands of jobs and at least $1bn in retirement funds. Skilling, 59, has spent the past six years in a low-security prison camp in Littleton, Colorado, just outside of Denver. He was scheduled for release in February 2028, when he would be 74. Skilling's lawyer appealed the conviction and sentencing. A US appeals court affirmed the conviction but said the sentencing was inappropriately enhanced when the judge found Skilling endangered a financial institution. The court sent the case back to Judge Simeon Lake for resentencing. By removing the enhancement, the advisory sentencing range drops to 15 to 19 and a half years, from 24 to 30 years. The judge is not bound by the guideline range or any agreement reached between Skilling and the DoJ. However, judges often acknowledge such pacts. DoJ did not say why it was negotiating. The notice said "on occasion" DoJ will do so to "resolve certain disputed matters concerning sentencing." The full restitution has not been distributed to victims as the sentencing remains unresolved. Skilling is also seeking a new trial saying he has new evidence. His lawyer has previously argued that government misconduct harmed his ability to put on a defence, suggesting prosecutors "intimidated" potential witnesses who chose not to testify at the risk of being prosecuted. The judge found no evidence of misconduct by the government and the appeals court agreed. Skilling was the highest-level Enron executive to be imprisoned. Ken Lay, his co-defendant, escaped a prison sentence when he had a fatal heart attack in 2006. Daniel Petrocelli, Skilling's attorney, could not be reached. DoJ declined to comment.