[JURIST] A federal judge in Houston denied a motion Tuesday from former Enron executive Jeffrey Skilling [Houston Chronicle profile] that would have overturned his conviction [JURIST report] on 19 out of 28 securities and wire fraud and insider trading counts [verdict slip, PDF] because of insufficient evidence. US District Judge Sim Lake [official profile], however, has yet to rule on a defense motion to give Skilling access to $60 million in frozen assets. Skilling's lawyers are requesting that the court hold a bench trial on the issue, arguing that because Skilling was acquitted on nine of 10 insider trading charges, the frozen assets comprise legal stock sales and should be released.

In addition to those assets, the federal government has asked Lake to order Skilling to turn over an additional $139.3 million [JURIST report] in property and cash that he allegedly acquired as a result of the Enron scandal [JURIST news archive]. Skilling faces a maximum prison term of 185 years at his sentencing, which has been delayed [JURIST report] until Oct. 23. AP has more.