Appeals court upholds phony lawyer's conviction

A federal appeals court has rejected the appeal of a man convicted in North Dakota of impersonating a lawyer.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in an opinion released Monday upheld the conviction and prison sentence for Howard O. Kieffer, of Duluth, Minn.

Kieffer was convicted by a Bismarck jury last year on charges of mail fraud and false statements. He was sentenced to four years and three months in prison and ordered to repay $152,750 to clients.

Kieffer also was found guilty by a Denver jury in April of fraud and making false statements. He represented a Colorado woman in 2008.

Kieffer was sentenced in Colorado last month to four years and nine months in prison. He has appealed that conviction.

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