OH BROTHER!

I was hired in October, 1999; I left in October, 2001. The shit hit the fan in March, 2002 so I was lucky I left when I did. My former employer, Adelphia (Greek for “Brother”) Communications fell from grace like a house of cards. The stock price plummeted from a high of 50 to mere pennies in less than six months. Earlier this week, my former bosses were sentenced to prison for 15 and 20 years, respectively.

That period in my life makes for great reading, and I fully recount that unbelievable story in my book-in-progress. Those two years were extremely difficult. What started out to be a dream job ended in a complete and utter nightmare. These guys looted the company for billions. Mr. John Rigas was a sweet old man and was always treated my nicely. He always remembered my name. He’s 80 and may die in prison now. I feel a bit sorry for him. On the other hand, I don’t feel at all sorry for his son, Tim (pictured on the right) who had an ego the size of the dollars he looted. He was the financial brains behind the whole scandal. Among other things, this guy was building a golf course for his own personal pleasure and paid for it via company funds. I’m sure it’s a wasteland now as is the little town of Coudersport, Pennsylvania that I lived in for nearly two years. My direct boss worked directly for Tim and made my life totally miserable. A living hell. My only regret is that this guy himself didn’t get arrested. Still, former employees like me who worked under Mr. Tim Rigas are smiling brightly today. What goes around, comes around. Amen brother.