US Supreme Court won't review Petters' conviction - WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The U.S. Supreme Court says it won't take up the case of Minnesota businessman Tom Petters.

In documents made public Tuesday, the nation's highest court denied Petters' request to review his 2009 conviction on charges he orchestrated a $3.65 billion Ponzi scheme.

This means the lower court decision upholding his conviction will stand.

Petters is currently serving a 50-year sentence at a federal prison in Leavenworth, Kan. He continues to proclaim his innocence.

His attorneys argued on appeal that the trial judge barred them from presenting evidence about the criminal past of key prosecution witness Larry Reynolds, who they say was the real mastermind of the scheme.

They also said Petters' sentence was disproportionate to those of his counterparts.