Fraudulent patron to be monitored

A Manhattan judge has ordered electronic monitoring of opera-loving philanthropist Alberto Vilar after his conviction on fraud charges.

U.S. District Court Judge Richard Sullivan ordered the monitoring after a probation officer said Wednesday that Vilar sometimes didn’t answer the phone at home.

Sullivan also set a March 20 sentencing date. Vilar, 68, and a co-defendant, Gary Alan Tanaka, were convicted last week of conspiring to commit various frauds.

Until a few years ago, the Cuban American Vilar had been hailed as an international arts patron, making multimillion-dollar pledges to Los Angeles Opera, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Royal Opera House in London and other companies. He failed to deliver on many of the promises, including a $12-million gift to L.A. Opera.