NATIONAL BRIEFING / NORTH DAKOTA
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A man accused of impersonating a lawyer in at least 10 states was convicted of mail fraud and making false statements in what could be the first of several federal prosecutions around the country.
A federal jury in Bismarck took about 90 minutes to convict Howard O. Kieffer, who shrank in his chair and gulped as the verdict was read.
Authorities said Kieffer lied on his application to practice law in federal court, but still represented clients, such as a former St. Louis Blues hockey player who pleaded guilty to plotting to kill his agent.
Kieffer, 54, faces up to 25 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
Court records show Kieffer was convicted earlier of theft and filing false tax returns and served time in a federal prison from 1989 to 1992.
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