Witness: Merrill Execs Knew of Enron Scheme

Several Merrill Lynch & Co. executives knew Enron Corp. pushed hard for the brokerage to buy interest in three barges by the end of 1999 so the energy company could book the profit, a former credit analyst for Merrill Lynch said.

But the analyst, Tina Trinkle, was concerned enough about the hurried deal and an unwritten promise that Merrill’s interest would be bought out in six months that she kept paperwork related to it years after she resigned.

Trinkle is the first Merrill Lynch insider to testify in the conspiracy and fraud trial of four former brokerage executives and two former Enron executives.