Fed. court upholds ex-Ill. Gov. Ryan's convictions

CHICAGO – A federal appeals court has upheld former Illinois Gov. George Ryan's corruption convictions.

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday rejected arguments from Ryan's attorneys that the charges should be overturned because prosecutors never proved he took a bribe.

It was the latest attempt by Ryan to get out of prison based on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling curtailing "honest services" laws.

The appellate court accepted government arguments that Ryan's case clearly involved bribery and kickbacks, so the high court ruling didn't apply.

Last year, the U.S. District judge who presided over Ryan's 2006 trial, Rebecca Pallmeyer, upheld Ryan's corruption conviction, leading to the appeal.

Ryan has served about three years of his 6 1/2-year sentence on racketeering, conspiracy, tax fraud and making false statements to the FBI.