Circuit court rejects appeal

FARGO (AP) — A federal appeals court has upheld the verdict in a case in which a Minot commodities broker was sentenced to 12 years in prison for defrauding investors out of millions of dollars.

Frederick Keiser Jr. was convicted in March 2007 on 22 counts, including wire fraud and money laundering. He was ordered to pay back more than $2 million.

Keiser claimed in his appeal that U.S. District Judge Ralph Erickson made several mistakes, such as denying a request to delay sentencing and allowing expert testimony about the financial responsibility of brokers.

A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected those arguments in a ruling filed Thursday.

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