Lawyers for former Enron Corp. CEO Jeffrey Skilling, who has been charged in a wide-ranging conspiracy case stemming from Enron’s collapse in Dec. 2001, have asked a Houston federal judge to disclose the names of 114 people alleged to be co-conspirators.

Skilling, according to a filing by the Enron Task Force prosecutors “spearheaded” the conspiracy at Enron. He faces trial early next year with co-defendants Kenneth Lay, Enron’s former chairman, and Richard Causey, the former chief accounting officer. All three have pleaded not guilty.

According to Skilling’s attorneys, who have received a copy of the list of co-conspirators as part of their trial preparation, said that the list includes the names of former Enron officials and several others who already have pleaded guilty to Enron-related crimes. There also are individuals named from large financial institutions that did business with Enron, as well as other businesses with ties to the bankrupt energy giant.

Citing confidentiality, prosecutors in Houston said they are required to keep the names under seal, which is typical in such a case. The rules allow that individuals accused of participating in a criminal conspiracy still have the right to privacy if they have not been formally charge.

However, Skilling’s attorneys contend that federal prosecutors have “criminalized” legitimate business practices and have been overzealous in their pursuit of specific people. In a court filing, they argued that keeping the names sealed allows the federal government to avoid scrutiny. They also note that it is “inherently implausible” that so many law-abiding individuals could “participate in a vast criminal conspiracy.”

If the names are not unsealed, Skilling’s legal team is asking the court for more latitude in contacts with some of the people named in the indictment, including some who may not even know they are considered co-conspirators by the government. The court filings indicate that about 50 of the 114 have already been named as co-conspirators in public documents or other Enron-related business.

The lawyers argued that the individuals could be moved to “exonerate themselves” by defending their conduct and disclosing all of the facts “to make clear that they have done nothing wrong.” Daniel Petrocelli, Skilling’s lead attorney, told the Wall Street Journal in an interview that “It is basic that I should have the ability to tell the people what the accusations are so that I can prove them to be false.”

In response to the defense’s filing, prosecutors said the argument that co-conspirators might be more willing to talk if their identities were disclosed was “nonsensical.” It continued, “Indeed, if the government had publicly filed the list, Skilling would no doubt argue that the government was attempting to chill persons with knowledge of the charges from speaking with the defense.”

The government also indicated in the filing that more names are expected to be added to the co-conspirator list.

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