Nation IN BRIEF : NEW YORK : Leona Helmsley’s Conviction Upheld

The tax fraud conviction of hotel owner Leona Helmsley was upheld by the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in New York. But the court ordered new sentencing, ruling that some lesser charges against her should have been merged. Helmsley, 71, had been sentenced to four years in prison, fined $7.1 million and ordered to perform 750 hours of community service. No date was set for sentencing. She was convicted in 1989 on 33 federal tax evasion counts. She and her husband, businessman Harry Helmsley, were charged with billing millions of dollars in personal expenses and home improvements to their businesses.