A federal appeals court has rejected a bid to remove the judge overseeing the case of a woman convicted of trying to extort millions from University of Louisville coach Rick Pitino.
The two-page decision issued Monday by the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals also turned down a request by Karen Cunagin Sypher to delay her sentencing, which is set for Feb. 18.
Sypher was convicted in August of extortion, lying to the FBI and retaliation against a witness. Prosecutors said she sought millions in cash, cars and a house from Pitino to stay quiet about their one-night stand at a Louisville restaurant in 2003.
Her attorney, David Nolan, has filed multiple motions alleging a wide-ranging conspiracy involving Pitino, U.S. District Judge Charles R. Simpson III and multiple people involved in the case. Prosecutors have called Sypher's claims meritless.
