Former WorldCom CEO Ebbers Pleads Not Guilty

NEW YORK (AP) -- Former WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers pleaded innocent Wednesday to federal charges that he conspired with his chief financial officer to cook the company's books in the biggest corporate fraud in American history.

Ebbers surrendered to the FBI early Wednesday, a day after the financial officer, Scott Sullivan, pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against his former boss.

Ebbers' lawyer, Reid Weingarten, insisted Ebbers will clear his name at trial.

"Bernie Ebbers never sought to mislead investors, never sought to improperly manipulate WorldCom's numbers, never improperly took any money and never sought to hurt the company he built," Weingarten said Tuesday after an indictment was filed against his client.

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