Franklyn M. Bergonzi | Ex-Rite Aid official, 61

Franklyn M. Bergonzi, 61, one of five former Rite Aid Corp. executives sent to prison for their roles in an accounting scandal at the nation's third-largest drugstore chain, died Friday, his family said.

Mr. Bergonzi, who had been Rite Aid's executive vice president and chief financial officer, was released from federal prison last July. The Hummelstown, Pa., resident had been working as a consultant for a Camp Hill engineering company before his death.

Six former Rite Aid executives pleaded guilty or were convicted of federal crimes in a case that echoed scandals at Enron, WorldCom and Adelphia. Five served jail time.

The Rite Aid executives falsified records to artificially inflate the company's value and line their pockets, federal prosecutors said.

Mr. Bergonzi, who worked for Rite Aid for nearly three decades, pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy in June 2003 and was sentenced to 28 months in prison. - AP