Michael Rigas, a son of the founder of Adelphia Communications, pleaded guilty in December to a charge of making a false entry in a financial record, eliminating the need for his retrial on securities-fraud and bank-fraud charges in a scandal that forced the cable giant into bankruptcy.

John Rigas and his son, Timothy, were convicted in federal court last year of conspiracy, bank fraud and securities fraud. On June 20, 2005, John Rigas was sentenced to 15 years in prison and Timothy Rigas to 20 years. They are free pending appeal. A fourth executive, Michael Mulcahey, was found not guilty of conspiracy and securities fraud. Last month, John and Timothy were indicted in Philadelphia on charges they and other family members didn't pay $300 million in taxes.

WorldCom

Bernard Ebbers, who as CEO of WorldCom oversaw the largest corporate fraud in U.S. history, was sentenced on July 13, 2005, to 25 years in prison. The sentence was handed down in Manhattan three years after WorldCom collapsed in an $11 billion accounting fraud, wiping out billions of investor dollars. A judge ruled in September that Ebbers can stay out of prison while he appeals his conviction.

HealthSouth

Former CEO Richard Scrushy was acquitted on June 28, 2005, on all 36 counts of conspiracy, false reporting, fraud and money laundering in an alleged $2.7 billion earnings overstatement at the rehabilitation- and medical-services chain over seven years beginning in 1996. He blamed the fraud on 15 former HealthSouth executives who pleaded guilty. Hannibal "Sonny" Crumpler, a former HealthSouth executive and the second person to stand trial in the fraud, was convicted in November of conspiracy and lying to auditors.

Tyco International

Former Chief Executive L. Dennis Kozlowski and Chief Financial Officer Mark H. Swartz were convicted June 17, 2005, on 22 of 23 counts of grand larceny, conspiracy, securities fraud and falsifying business records. Prosecutors accused the two of conspiring to defraud Tyco of millions of dollars to fund extravagant lifestyles. The two were sentenced Sept. 19 to eight and one-third to 25 years in prison. A judge refused to release Kozlowski and Swartz on bail while they appeal their convictions.

Credit Suisse First Boston

The company's former investment-banking star, Frank Quattrone, was convicted in May 2004 on federal charges of obstruction of justice, after his first trial ended in a hung jury. Quattrone, who made a fortune taking Internet companies public during the dot-com stock boom, was sentenced to 18 months in prison. He is free on bail, appealing the conviction.

Martha Stewart

The founder of the homemaking empire was released March 4, 2005, after serving five months in prison, and finished serving an additional five months and three weeks of home confinement at the end of August. She was convicted in federal court last year of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and making false statements related to a personal sale of ImClone Systems stock. Her former broker at Merrill Lynch, Peter Bacanovic, served a five-month sentence and was released June 16. He still faces five months of home confinement. Stewart's conviction was not related to the company she founded, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

Cendant

Former Cendant Vice Chairmen E. Kirk Shelton was convicted in January 2005 of conspiracy and securities, wire and mail fraud. He was sentenced Aug. 3 to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay full restitution for his role in an accounting scandal that cost investors and the company more than $3 billion.

Shelton was ordered to pay $3.27 billion to Cendant including an initial "lump sum" payment of $15 million last month. Shelton delivered cash, company stock and company-funded insurance policies, a combination that Cendant said is at least $2.4 million short and fluctuates daily. Shelton stood trial with former Cendant Chairman Walter Forbes, whose case ended in a mistrial and will be retried.

Four other former executives have already pleaded guilty.

The Associated Press

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