Judge to Sentence Former Rite Aid Execs

A federal judge is scheduled to sentence former Rite Aid Corp. Chief Executive Martin L. Grass on Thursday.

Grass, 50, pleaded guilty last year to two conspiracy counts for his role in an accounting scandal at the Camp Hill, Pa.-based drugstore chain. He could receive as many as 10 years in prison at the hearing under the terms of a recently negotiated plea deal.

A previous plea agreement had capped his potential prison time at eight years but was rejected by U.S. District Judge Sylvia H. Rambo. His lawyers and prosecutors subsequently renegotiated.

Three other former Rite Aid executives who pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges also are scheduled to be sentenced this week -- Vice President Eric S. Sorkin on Tuesday and Chief Financial Officer Franklyn M. Bergonzi and Senior Vice President Philip Markovitz on Wednesday.

Sentencing dates have not been set for former Chief Executive Timothy J. Noonan, who also pleaded guilty to a criminal offense as a result of the investigation, or for former Vice Chairman Franklin C. Brown, convicted by a jury in October on 10 criminal counts.