Millionaire Robert Durst pleads not guilty to federal charge

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jailed millionaire Robert Durst pleaded not guilty today to the newest charge against him — a federal charge of possessing a gun after a felony conviction.

U.S. District Judge Lance Africk set a trial date for June 22.

Durst is an estranged member of the wealthy family that operates 1 World Trade Center. He also faces a murder charge in California and two state weapons charges in Louisiana — one of possessing a .38-caliber revolver after a felony conviction and one of possessing the firearm along with an illegal drug: about 5 ounces of marijuana.

Durst pleaded guilty to two federal charges in Pennsylvania in 2004: possessing a firearm while a fugitive and while under indictment. However, his lawyers say those convictions don't make it illegal for him to carry a gun under Louisiana law.

The weapons arrest has kept Durst in New Orleans even though he waived extradition to California, where he's charged in the December 2000 death of 55-year-old Susan Berman, a longtime friend — allegedly because she was going to talk to investigators about the disappearance of his first wife in 1982.