Bernard Ebbers stood before the judge and asked for mercy. The former CEO of WorldCom had been indicted for orchestrating an $11 billion accounting fraud that shut down the telecommunications firm in 2002, yet he asked for mercy.

His company's collapse represented the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history and devastated the lives of thousands of employees, yet he asked for mercy.

Speaking on behalf of his client, defense attorney Reid Weingarten cited 169 letters from Ebbers' supporters, detailing the 63-year-old's heart condition and numerous (often anonymous) charitable gifts.

"If you live 60-some-odd years," said Weingarten, "if you have an unblemished record, if you have endless numbers of people who attest to your goodness, doesn't that count? Doesn't that count particularly on this day?"

The judge said no, sentencing Ebbers to 25 years in a federal penitentiary.