A federal judge in New York has agreed to release from prison the dying 91-year-old founder of one of the nation's largest cable television companies.
Judge Kimba Wood signed an order Friday saying Adelphia Communications Corp. founder and former Buffalo Sabres owner John Rigas can be released early.
She was responding to a written request for early release by prosecutors. Rigas is serving a 12-year sentence in a $1.9 billion looting and debt-hiding scandal that led to the collapse of Adelphia.
He was scheduled to be released from prison in January 2018.
Prosecutors says Rigas suffers from bladder cancer that has advanced to his lungs, making it unlikely he'll live more than six months.
Rigas' attorney says she is grateful for the order. Rigas has been housed at the U.S. Penitentiary, Canaan, in northeastern Pennsylvania.
