Supreme Court won't hear appeal from former Alabama governor

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court won't hear an appeal from former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman over his prison sentence for bribery and obstruction of justice.

The justices had no comment Monday on their order letting stand a lower court ruling that rejected his request for a new sentencing hearing.

Siegelman argued that a judge wrongly factored in accusations that the jury didn't convict him of when handing down a 6 1/2 year prison sentence. He was convicted in an influence-peddling scheme with HealthSouth Corp. founder and former CEO Richard Scrushy, who already has finished his sentence.

The 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Siegelman's sentence, which included an enhancement for "systematic and pervasive corruption."

Siegelman is projected to get out of prison in 2017.