He questioned comments Fastow made Tuesday on the stand when he characterized himself as a hero at Enron.

But the two quickly tangled on questions. At one point, Petrocelli stopped Fastow from continuing on in an answer. As a witness, you'll get more opportunities to talk, Petrocelli said. "I'm going to ask you lots of questions."

"I can see by the binders," Fastow said referring to the shelves full of notebooks scattered around the courtroom.

The fourth floor overflow courtroom erupted with laughter.

Petrocelli pushed on. "You must be consumed by insatiable greed," he said.
"I believed I was extremely greedy," Fastow answered, "and lost my moral compass and done things I very much regret."

"Your greed was so great," Petrocelli continued, "you allowed your wife to go to prison!"

"My actions caused my wife to go to prison," Fastow agreed.

"And your wife was innocent wasn't she?," Petrocelli asked.

"I find it very hard myself to believe my wife was guilty," Fastow said. "I love my wife and I know her and I also find it very difficult to believe she would ever lie to a federal judge. I accept that in her mind she may believe she was guilty. But regardless it was my actions that put her in that situation that caused her to go to prison and I'll live with that the rest of my life."

Petrocelli rephrased the question and asked it again. Fastow restated a similar answer. Petrocelli said it appears Fastow prepared his answers.

"With all due respect your questions sound very rehearsed to me," Fastow shot back.

Petrocelli told jurors Fastow is a liar and a master manipulator.

"I lied before," Fastow said. "I lied when I was at Enron and I've lied on many occasions but I'm here to tell the truth."

"You blame Mr. Skilling don't you," Petrocelli asked.

"No sir," Fastow said.

"You blame him for leaving the company and lighting the fuse that led to the discovery of your crimes," Petrocelli continued.

"I hold myself responsible for my illegal actions," said Fastow.

"You know you're going to jail for a long time," Petrocelli stated.

"Yes sir, 10 years," Fastow answered.

"And the idea that you'd sit in jail ten years while Mr. Skilling is a free man that doesn't sit well with you does it?," questioned Petrocelli.

"I'm sad about any family that has to go through anything like what I put my family through," Fastow said.

Prosecutors spent an entire day questioning Fastow.

The defense has not said how long it plans to cross-examine him. But it's likely it could last a couple days if not longer.