Jail term for ex-Adelphia execs to start in August

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Wednesday ordered convicted Adelphia Communications Corp. founder John Rigas and his son Timothy, who have remained free on bail while they pursued an appeal, to begin serving their lengthy prison terms in August.

A federal appeals court rejected the bulk of the Rigases' appeal last month. The pair were convicted in July 2004 of orchestrating a scheme to conceal loans and steal millions from the cable operator.

U.S. District Judge Leonard Sand ordered the men to report to prison on August 13, saying that too much time had elapsed between the verdict and the beginning of their sentences.

"Almost three years after the verdict the defendants are still on bail pending appeal," Sand said at a court hearing in New York. "The issue that led the court to grant bail pending appeal has now been clearly rejected by the Second Circuit."

The U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals last month upheld the pair's criminal convictions but threw out one count of bank fraud.

John Rigas, 82, was sentenced in June 2005 to 15 years in prison, while Timothy Rigas, 51, the company's former finance chief, was sentenced to 20 years.