Former Rite Aid Corp. Chairman Martin L. Grass and three other onetime Rite Aid executives pleaded not guilty to federal criminal charges stemming from their alleged participation in accounting irregularities intended to make the company more attractive to investors.
Grass, 47, of Virginia Beach, Va., who doubled as the company's chairman and chief executive; Franklin Brown, 74, of Harrisburg, Pa., the former chief counsel and vice chairman; and Franklyn Bergonzi, 57, of Hummelstown, Pa., a former executive vice president and chief financial officer, face allegations of conspiracy to defraud, fraud involving the purchase or sale of securities and making false statements to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
