Adelphia Communications

CREATED AND FOUNDED by John J. Rigas, Adelphia Communications grew in the 1990s to become one of the largest cable media providers in the United States. Because of its size, investors and shareholders were shocked when they learned that the company filed for bankruptcy in June 2002. However, headquartered in Coudersport, Pennsylvania, a small rural community that Rigas called home, Adelphia Communications was not immune from white-collar crime. Federal investigators arrested Rigas, and his two sons, Michael and Timothy, on July 24, 2002, and paraded the group in handcuffs before the media.

At 77 years old, Rigas did not appear to be a typical criminal. The accusations levied against him, his sons, and two other employees, were far from typical. The group was accused of concealing ...