in Chicago, a 3-judge 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel...

in Chicago, a 3-judge 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel, with a 2-1 decision, upheld former Gov. George Ryan's racketeering and fraud conviction and refused to grant a new trial that could delay his 6 1/2-year prison sentence.
Ryan, now 73, was convicted last year of racketeering conspiracy, fraud and other offenses for taking payoffs from political insiders in exchange for state business while he was Illinois secretary of state from 1991 to 1999 and governor for 4 years after that. Prosecutors said he had steered state contracts and leases to insiders and used tax dollars in his political campaigns.
Later in the day, the 73-year-old Ryan was informed that the appellate court had allowed him to stay out of prison pending further appeal.