Asked his opinion by the 9th Circuit, U.S. District Judge John Sedwick filed a response last week in which he agreed that Kott was neither dangerous nor likely to run away. But he said Kott faced daunting odds that he would get his conspiracy, extortion and bribery charges overturned, making his release inappropriate.
"The evidence against Kott at trial was overwhelming, including numerous videotapes and recordings, the crime is a very serious one which threatened the integrity of the state legislative process, this court has previously denied a motion for a judgment of acquittal or a new trial, and the government's opposition to the arguments advanced by Kott in support of his appeal are very persuasive," Sedwick wrote.
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