A federal appeals court has upheld the prison sentences of John J. Rigas and Timothy Rigas in the massive corporate fraud at Adelphia Communication Corp. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit said yesterday that Southern District Judge Leonard B. Sand acted well within his discretion in sentencing John J. Rigas to 12 years in prison and his son, Timothy, to 17 years. The pair were convicted by a jury in 2004 of conspiracy, bank fraud and securities fraud.
Judge Jose A. Cabranes, writing for the circuit yesterday, said the sentences imposed on the pair “were procedurally and substantively reasonable” and the panel could “detect no error” in Judge Sand’s 2007 decision denying the men a new trial. Judges Wilfred Feinberg and Ralph K. Winter joined the opinion in United States v. Rigas, 08-3485, which will be published tomorrow. - Mark Hamblett
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