NEW YORK Adelphia founder begins his trial
The trial is expected to last months.
NEW YORK (AP) -- With a smile and a nod to potential jurors Monday, Adelphia Communications Corp. founder John Rigas began a trial that will determine if he and his two sons looted the nation's fifth-largest cable company, cheating investors of billions of dollars.
But by the end of daylong questioning of prospective jurors by U.S. District Judge Leonard Sand, the 79-year-old Rigas grew weary and left the proceeding an hour early. Earlier, one potential juror had referred to him as the "frail elderly gentleman."
Sand said he hoped to have a jury selected by Thursday or Friday so that opening statements could begin next Monday. The trial is expected to last three months.
Among 19 people chosen Monday to proceed to the final round of jury selection were a man who was shot in a gas station holdup in 1975, several people with links to law enforcement and others with connections to the securities industry.
The judge made it clear to lawyers that he was not going to automatically exclude those with ties to law enforcement or the securities industry, despite complaints by defense lawyers that it would be hard for those people to be fair and impartial.
One woman was called back for the final jury selection round late in the week despite working as the assistant to the president of a hedge fund, where cable financial news channel CNBC is monitored each day. She also cited ties between her company and many others that will be discussed during the trial.
The judge said if he did not permit people like the woman to be on the jury, "We will end up with a jury which, one, would not be a cross section of the community and two, would consist of persons who are completely ignorant of security markets and I don't think that would be a good cross section."
The day opened with the defendants and the lawyers in the case being introduced to a group of potential jurors.
Rigas turned around and smiled as he was introduced by his lawyer, Peter Fleming Jr.
Rigas and his sons, Michael and Timothy Rigas, both former company executives, are accused by prosecutors of turning the cable company into their "personal piggy bank."