In the first of many sentencing hearings that will take place this fall n connection with various Enron-related criminal cases, Timothy DeSpain, a 41-year old former assistant treasurer of Enron from 1999 to 2002, was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein to four years probation in connection with a 2004 plea agreement in which he pled guilty to a single count of securities fraud. Here is an earlier blog post with background on DeSpain’s role at Enron and his plea deal. The Chronicle’s Tom Fowler files a report on the sentencing here.