question archive John Rigas was a co-founder of Adelphia Communications Corporation, which at its height was one of the largest cable television companies in America
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John Rigas was a co-founder of Adelphia Communications Corporation, which at its height was one of the largest cable television companies in America. Rigas was a multimillionaire and even became the majority owner of the National Hockey League (NHL) Buffalo Sabers' franchise. Rigas was well known and earned numerous honors by the community. However, in 2002 John Rigas was indicted on bank fraud, wire fraud, and securities fraud. As a result, Adelphia Communications Corporation filed for bankruptcy and eventually went out of business. As a result, individuals lost jobs due to the company going out of business. It was later discovered John Rigas stole $3.1 billion dollars from the company and its investors. Many investors lost thousands of dollars due to Rigas' actions. John Rigas was later convicted of multiple charges of fraud and sentenced to 15 years in prison. However, Rigas would be released early from prison due to being terminally ill with bladder cancer.
Questions:
1) Which criminological theory best explains John Rigas white-collar crime? Why?
2) Was the sentence appropriate for John Rigas' actions?
3) Do you believe John Rigas should have been released early from prison? Why or why not?
4) In the future, how can individuals, companies, or consumers protect themselves from white-collar criminals such as, John Rigas?