Anthony Pellicano, a former celebrity private eye sentenced to 15 years in prison for illegal wiretaps and running a criminal enterprise, lost most of his legal battle Tuesday to overturn his convictions.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Pellicano’s most serious convictions, overturning only two for aiding and abetting computer fraud and unauthorized computer access. The court said the trial judge had given an erroneous jury instruction on those counts.
The most serious convictions, for running a criminal enterprise, remain intact, and Tuesday’s ruling was not likely to significantly alter Pellicano’s sentence.