Judge Urged To Reject Ex-Lawmaker’s Bond Request

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to reject a former Louisiana lawmaker's request to remain free on bond while she petitions the U.S. Supreme Court to review her racketeering conspiracy conviction.

In a court filing Thursday, U.S. Attorney Kenneth Polite's office argued it is "highly unlikely" that the Supreme Court will reverse former state Rep. Renee Gill Pratt's 2011 conviction.

Last month, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Gill Pratt's conviction but vacated her sentence. Prosecutors urged U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle to re-sentence her "as soon as practicable."

Lemelle had sentenced Gill Pratt to more than seven years in prison after a jury convicted her of conspiring with relatives of former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson to steal more than $1 million from taxpayer-funded charities.