Ebbers was found guilty of conspiracy, securities fraud and making false filing with regulators in the $11-billion fraud case by the jury on Tuesday, which invites a maximum punishment of 85 years.
After a six-week trial, the jury, comprising seven women and five men, found Ebbers responsible for doctored filings between 2000 and 2002 that boosted WorldCom's reported earnings while hiding the fact that its business was on a decline during the period.
WorldCom filed a bankruptcy petition in 2002 and later announced that it had uncovered a multi-million-dollar fraud in its accounting entries, costing millions of investors billions of dollars.
Ebbers, the lead actor in the fraud that led to downfall of the second largest telecommunications firm, was charged with one count of conspiracy, one count of securities fraud and seven counts of false regulatory filings.
The conviction came after five weeks of testimony and more than 40 hours of deliberation over eight days, with the main witness against Ebbers being Scott Sullivan, his trusted aide and former finance chief of WorldCom.
Sullivan testified that Ebbers had ordered him to commit fraud by insisting that the company had to show performance and earnings up to the expectations of the Wall Street Journal.
Ebbers is the fifth and highest ranking WorldCom official to be convicted in the fraud, which had hogged the limelight along with similar charges on top Enron officials, forcing the US Congress to enact strict laws to make corporate bosses accountable for their firms' financial reporting.
Television visuals showed a dejected Ebbers leaving the courtroom with his wife and daughter after the conviction. Disappointed at the conviction, his lawyers said they would appeal and expressed confidence that he would be cleared of all charges.
Three lower-level officials of WorldCom had already pleaded guilty to fraud. The court will sentence Ebbers on June 13.
