Lloyd Silverstein, Computer Associates' former senior VP of finance and one of the three guys it canned in October for cooking the company's books, has pleaded guilty in a federal court to conspiring to obstruct justice in connection with the ongoing investigation of CA's revenue-recognition policies by the SEC and the US Attorney's Office. So said a CA statement released after close of business Thursday.

Silverstein testified that the shenanigans were "widespread" and approved by high-ranking CA executives and date back to at least 1998.

Along with the plea, Silverstein is going to help with the government investigation of CA now entering its third year.

Silverstein was forced out along with CA CFO Ira Zar and finance VP Davis Rivard after an internal investigation by CA's board established that CA had recognized $1 billion in revenues before the contracts were signed in fiscal 2000.

CA said its lawyers had turned over to government investigators the evidence the board's Audit Committee had found that linked Silverstein directly to the improper revenue recognition. They also reported that Silverstein had lied to the company by denying the existence of the practice when he was interviewed in August of 2002.

Silverstein said he was told to lie by his superiors.

The government has recently said it might sue CA over the hanky- panky and CA in its statement Thursday said that the government investigation "could result in the commencement of administrative, civil injunctive and criminal proceedings, including the imposition of penalties and other remedies." So far the government has only suggested publicly that it's had trouble with CA's fiscal 2000. Silverstein pushing the date back to 1998 suggests that revenues were inflated so CA founder Charles Wang, CA CEO Sanjay Kumar and executive VP Russell Artzt could qualify for a $1.1 billion stock bonus. Silverstein could go to jail for five years and be fined $250,000.

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