Kerik’s 4-year prison sentence upheld in NYC

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals court has upheld the tax-fraud conviction and four-year sentence given to a former New York police commissioner once considered for a top U.S. post.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the sentence former police commissioner Bernard Kerik began serving last May.

Kerik pleaded guilty in 2009 to charges that included tax fraud and lying to the White House. He had been nominated to lead the Department of Homeland Security after he was declared a hero for his work as commissioner after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

On appeal, Kerik’s lawyers argued that procedural error and judicial bias led him to be sentenced more harshly. Federal sentencing guidelines called for up to three years in prison.