The charges against Sullivan and Myers could pressure them to tell investigators what they know about their one-time boss, former chief executive Bernard Ebbers, who also is under investigation.
Ebbers' lawyers said in a statement that he had no knowledge of the accounting decisions in question, and believed Sullivan and Myers to be "competent, ethical and loyal employees, devoted to the welfare of WorldCom."
The statement added, "Today's actions may be good theater for the media and useful to politicians, but they don't prove that Sullivan and Myers ever acted with criminal intent, an essential element we doubt the government will ever be able to prove in this case."
Justice Department officials declined to say Thursday whether they were still considering taking the more drastic step of charging WorldCom as a corporation. A conviction could drive the company out of business.
Executives who cheat investors "will meet the judgment they fear and the punishment they deserve," Ashcroft said. "When financial transactions are fraudulent and balance sheets are falsified, the invisible hand that guides our market is replaced by a greased palm."
As Sullivan and Myers, both dressed in dark suits, were led out of the FBI headquarters in New York en route to the courthouse, two passers-by clapped at the sight of the two men wearing handcuffs.
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