Atty. linked to Fla. Ponzi schemer faces prison

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- A disbarred lawyer who formerly worked at convicted Florida Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein's firm faces potential prison time at a sentencing hearing before a federal judge.

Sentencing guidelines call for around three to four years behind bars for 50-year-old Steven Lippman at Friday's hearing. He pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate federal election laws and to commit bank fraud.

Lippman's attorneys are asking for leniency, saying he wasn't directly involved in Rothstein's $1.2 billion fraud involving fake legal settlements. Rothstein is serving a 50-year prison sentence.

Prosecutors say Lippman made sizable contributions to John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign and then was illegally reimbursed by Rothstein. Prosecutors say Lippman also used a bank account he controlled to artificially inflate the value of the Rothstein firm's accounts and fraudulently obtain additional financing.

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