Former Bank of America Vice President Robert Conner has been convicted of 36 charges – 17 counts of bank fraud and 19 counts of unauthorized use of a credit card – in a kickback scheme trial heard in federal court in St. Louis.

The case has involved charges being filed against 21 people, including State Representative John Bowman (D-St. Louis), who is still facing trial.

Following the verdict Conner was taken into custody when the judge determined there was a great risk of flight, given the amount of prison time Conner faces. Conner faces up to 30 years in prison on the bank fraud charge and an additional 10 years on the credit fraud charge.

A St. Louis County jury has rejected a request from Metro – formerly known as the Bi-State Development Agency – for $81-Million in damages over delays and cost overruns on construction of an eight-mile Metrolink line.

In doing so, the jury found in favor of a joint venture known as the Cross County Collaborative, which designed and managed the project until it was fired by Metro in August of 2004. The Collaborative has been awarded $2.56-Million for work the companies said they did and were not paid for.

The light-rail line opened in August of 2006, 15 months late and more than $126-Million over budget.