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Wfan May Welcome Back Westchester's Craig Carton After Prison Stint, Reports Say

Could disgraced WFAN sports radio talking head Craig Carton make a return to the station after serving out his jail sentence for operating a Ponzi scheme?

Craig Carton announces the starting lineup for his celebrity all-star team.

Craig Carton announces the starting lineup for his celebrity all-star team.

Photo Credit: Brian Donnelly

The Westchester native is reportedly on the radar of WFAN higher-ups after “ally” Chris Oliviero was hired in May to run WFAN as Entercom’s senior vice president and market manager.

Last April, Carton, who grew up in New Rochelle, was ordered to spend 42 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $4,835,186.56 in restitution and to forfeit $4,590,000 for running the Ponzi scheme that reportedly covered his gambling debts.

“I understand why people would ask that, especially based on our long history,” Oliviero told Newsday on Monday, June 15. “But the answer is: Who knows? There are so many variables.

“That said, if a time in the future came where Craig had gotten his life back on track, fulfilled all that was asked of him and was in a position to resume his career, of course we’d talk and discuss.”

Oliviero began working with Carton and Boomer Esiason on the “Boomer and Carton Show” on WFAN in 2007, up until Carton’s arrest three years ago.

According to authorities, Carton and co-defendant Michael Wright allegedly ripped off investors of as much as $4.6 million in the Ponzi scheme.

The scam was put in place in order to pay off Carton's gambling debts, according to reports, which state that court papers allege Carton ran up millions of dollars in losses with two casinos, plus a debt of $825,000 to an unidentified individual.

Carton, Wright and a third party worked together to "induce investors to provide them with millions of dollars — based on representations that the investor funds would be used to purchase blocks of tickets to concerts — which would then be re-sold on the secondary market," according to his prosecutors.

“I think every other radio group would have the same conversation,” Oliviero reportedly said. “His talent is well-documented. But he is absolutely not in that position yet, nor do I know when that will be. I do think New York believes in second chances in life, so I do think that when that day comes, he will have conversations with people. But I don’t know when that is.”

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