Looking at the case from Scrushy's point of view:

Scrushy was described during the trial as a charismatic salesman and financial genius. He claimed the finance chiefs hid the fraud from him. Lawyers for Scrushy, the first CEO accused of violating the Sarbanes-Oxley corporate governance law, said prosecutors botched the case and relied on the testimony of liars and thieves.

``This is a Wisconsin prosecution,'' defense attorney Jim Parkman told jurors in closing arguments at the end of the four- month trial. ``It's one that's got more holes in it than Swiss cheese.''

.... Defense attorneys derided prosecutors for producing no documents during the trial that tied Scrushy directly to the fraud. They debunked several hours of secret tape recordings that former finance chief William Owens made for the Federal Bureau of Investigation on March 17 and 18, 2003.

Parkman attacked Owens as a ``rat'' who failed to file tax returns for nine years. He assailed another finance chief as a drunk and a philanderer and another as an extortionist. Another defense attorney, Arthur Leach, said the government's theory was ``insane,'' questioning why Scrushy would fire or demote co-conspirators who might betray him later.

Who is Scrushy?

Scrushy, a former respiratory therapist who co-founded HealthSouth in 1984, was described by witnesses as a visionary who built a chain of rehabilitation hospitals and outpatient surgery centers in all 50 U.S. states.

Update: The Washington Post has this analysis of the verdict.

The verdict also means federal prosecutors will probably think twice before bringing cases in a popular executive's home town, the experts said.

Great. Just what we need. More forum shopping.