Ex-Connecticut Governor Heads Back To Court To Fight Campaign Fraud Conviction

HARTFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork) -- Judges in the federal appeals court in Lower Manhattan will hear arguments Friday as former Connecticut governor John Rowland fights to ovetrun his campaign fraud convictions.

Rowland was sentenced to 30 months in prison in March 2015 for his role in a political consulting scheme -- exactly one decade after he was ordered behind bars in an earlier scandal that forced him from office.

Prosecutors said Rowland was paid $35,000 to work on the failed 2012 campaign of Republican congressional candidate Lisa Wilson-Foley and conspired to hide those payments through a consulting contract with a business owned by her husband, Brian Foley. They say he tried to strike a similar deal in 2010 with another failed GOP congressional candidate, Mark Greenberg.

Rowland was convicted in September 2015 on charges that he conspired to conceal payment for the work, which he knew would bring unwelcome publicity to the candidates because of his criminal history. 

Rowland was also governor from 1995 to 2004, when he resigned amid a scandal involving illegal gifts including trips and improvements to his lakeside cottage. He also was elected to the U.S. House three times and had been mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate or cabinet member.

Rowland spent nearly a year in prison for accepting bribes from state contractors, but now he's out on bond appealing his second conviction on election fraud, conspiracy and obstruction of justice, WCBS 880's Fran Schneidau reported.

Attorneys for Rowland argue the guilty verdict should be overturned because federal prosecutors withheld evidence.

If Rowland's convictions are not overturned, Rowland faves a prison sentence of two and a half years.

Experts say a decision from the federal judges hearing the Rowland case could come relatively soon.