Craig Carton, former WFAN morning host, released early from federal prison

Craig Carton, the former WFAN morning show co-host, was released on Tuesday from federal prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, for running a ticket-resale Ponzi scheme, his lawyer confirmed to Newsday.

Derrelle Janey said his client was released to a federal halfway house in Brooklyn and will be transferred to his home soon to complete the rest of his sentence under home confinement. Carton's release is not related to COVID-19, Janey said.

Carton had been sentenced to 42 months in prison on April 5, 2019, and began his sentence on June 17.

His attorney said that while in prison, Carton, 51, successfully completed a number of component rehab programs and was thus deemed suitable for release. Those programs included treatment for alcoholism, drug addiction and gambling.

Carton was convicted on Nov. 7, 2018, of fraudulently raising more than $5 million from investors by lying about ticket deals and using their money to repay massive gambling debts and former investors.

At the time of his arrest in September 2017, Carton co-hosted the morning show on WFAN with Boomer Esiason. Carton was the over-the-top personality to Esiason's most measured approach, but the duo worked well together for more than 10 years and produced what regularly was the No. 1-rated morning show in New York. Later that year, Bellport's Gregg Giannotti took over the co-hosting role with Esiason.

Could Carton ever return to WFAN?

"The answer is: Who knows? There are so many variables," Chris Oliviero told Newsday last week

Oliviero, now Entercom New York’s senior vice president and market manager, has a long history with Carton, including helping to bring him to WFAN alongside Esiason in 2007, when they succeeded Don Imus in morning drive time.

“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," Oliviero said, "of course we’d talk and discuss.”

With Neil Best