Created: 10/19/2009 1:56 PM KSTP.com | Print |  Email

Judge Denies Change of Venue for Petters

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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A judge has denied Wayzata businessman Tom Petters' bid to move his trial out of Minnesota.

Petters, who's accused of orchestrating a $3.5 billion Ponzi scheme, had argued that the media coverage of his case has made it impossible for him to get a fair trial in Minnesota.

But in an order Friday, U.S. District Judge Richard Kyle wrote that the defense had failed to meet the high burden required to prove that a fair jury can't be seated when Petters goes on trial Oct. 26 in St. Paul.

Kyle also wrote that only a small number of the 149 potential jurors who've returned questionnaires indicated they've formed a firm opinion of Petters' guilt. And he says many of them have already been excluded for reasons such as work conflicts and family circumstances.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)