Inside Arthur Andersen: Shifting Values, Unexpected Consequences

Chapter 1. Beginning of the End

All-Night Shredding

David Duncan sat in the Houston courtroom and answered a question put to him by the federal prosecutor. His face appeared strained. On any other day, Duncan would have been in his office at Arthur Andersen, the prestigious accounting firm, or on site at Enron. He would have been checking emails, holding a staff meeting with his audit team, or making important calls to senior partners at Andersen’s worldwide headquarters. But on this day, he faced a judge in a federal courtroom. His usual flamboyance had been set aside for the conservative dark suit expected of an Andersen partner.

No one from the small Texas town of Beaumont could have dreamed that the quiet, studious boy they had known would ...