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Man Convicted Of Trying To Swindle Petters Lawyer

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Dec 17, 2008 6:08 pm US/Central

Man Convicted Of Trying To Swindle Petters Lawyer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ― It took a jury just 20 minutes to convict a Minneapolis man of trying to swindle money from an attorney for Tom Petters, the Wayzata businessman at the center of a massive fraud case.

Derrick Lee Riddle of Minneapolis was found guilty Wednesday of attempted theft by swindle. He allegedly told Petters' attorney he could make the charges against his client go away for $250,000.

Petters' attorney, Jon Hopeman, went to authorities instead, and they set up a sting with an undercover FBI agent at his law firm.

The 37-year-old Riddle, who represented himself, will be sentenced Dec. 24 in Hennepin County District Court. The prosecutor says Riddle could be sentenced to up to 34 months in prison.

Petters has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges against him.

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Items federal agents seized at Tom Petters' Wayzata home in the fall of 2008 included $13,000 in cash, numerous credit cards, a .22 caliber revolver and 11 high-end watches, including four Rolexes.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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