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St. Paul, Minn. (AP)

Judge denies Petters' bid to move trial out of state

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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.