Andrew Fastow, who was at the center of the fraud that broughtdown Enron Corp., said he now accepts full responsibility for hisactions after originally viewing himself as a "hero" while chieffinancial officer at the energy trading giant.

Enron used off-books partnerships Fastow created to hidebillions of dollars in losses and debt, distorting the company'sperformance and inflating its share price. When the partnershipswere revealed, Enron's stock nosedived, plunging the company intoinsolvency in weeks.

"I thought I was doing the right thing," Fastow told a packedaudience at the Pendulum summit, which describes itself as a"Business and Self-Empowerment" event, in Dublin. "I thought I wasbeing a hero."

Fastow pleaded guilty to securities and wire fraud in 2004.Fastow testified extensively against Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling attrial and was sentenced to six years in prison.

Today, Fastow says he accepts his actions were wrong. More than5,000 jobs and $1 billion in employee retirement funds were wipedout overnight when the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcyprotection in 2001.

"I believe what I did was unethical and illegal," he said. "Itake full responsibility for my actions and consider myselfprobably the person most responsible for Enron's failure."

Fastow, speaking on business ethics, quipped that his time inDublin was bringing back memories.

"I haven't been in front of this many lights and cameras sincethe day I was indicted," he said.

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