David Wittig and Douglas Lake were making millions, and taking trips on the corporate jet, while the company they headed-- Westar Energy-- saw its stock price plummet and employees were laid off.
Monday, the jury said, it's payback time.
After more than a week of deliberation, in a trial that's taken nearly three months, jurors delivered Wittig's and Lake's verdicts: guilty... of multiple counts of wire fraud, money laundering and falsifying records.
A list of verdicts that took the US District Court Judge 28 minutes to read.
Wittig spent millions remodeling his corporate office and the two used the company to plan for personal trips and vacations at a time when the company they were in charge of running was taking a nose dive.
But, Westar representatives aren't saying much about the verdict.
"Those gentlemen are former management and not our current management in place, and our current employees here are working hard," says Westar Representative Karla Olsen, "we're the ones who are carrying the company forward and I think they're smart enough to know, this is a different Westar Energy today."
Now, the men could face a minimum of five years in federal prison, for one count of conspiracy alone.
In addition, prosecutors also want Wittig and Lake to forfeit any gains derived from the crimes, including Wittig's Landon Mansion in Topeka and all base pay received while working at the company. The list totals about $40-million between the two men.
The same jury that convicted them Monday, is expected to begin hearing testimony on that forfeiture question Tuesday.
The judge will decide on sentencing at a later date.