Appeals court upholds NY terror plot convictions

NEW YORK (AP) — An appeals court has upheld the convictions of four men in a terror plot to blow up New York City synagogues.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan made the decision public on Friday.

The defense had argued the men were harmless dupes led astray by an FBI informant who infiltrated a mosque. With the encouragement of the informant, one of the men hatched the scheme to blow up the synagogues in the Bronx and to shoot down military cargo planes with missiles.

The appeals court found the government’s tactics didn’t rise to the level of “outrageous misconduct.”

James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen (lah-GAYR’ PAY'-en) were arrested in 2009. Each was convicted of conspiracy and sentenced to 25 years in prison.