A federal appeals court has rejected Chaka “Chip” Fattah Jr.'s appeal to overturn his conviction on bank fraud charges.

Fattah Jr., currently serving a five-year prison sentence for bank fraud, claimed a federal agent alerted the media of a pre-dawn Feb. 29, 2012, raid on his office. The ensuing media coverage included articles and photos of agents serving him search warrants and confiscating a computer at his office located in a small Center City law firm, all of which Fattah Jr. said damaged his reputation and cost him his job—ultimately eliminating his ability to hire a lawyer.

Fattah Jr. represented himself in his prosecution and declined the assistance of a public defender. The issue was also the subject of a lawsuit Fattah Jr. filed in federal court. The government admitted liability for the leak, but argued that Fattah Jr. wasn't entitled to damages because no harm was done. But Fattah Jr. claimed the publicity got him fired from his legal marketing job by the attorney he shared an office with, David Shulick, and led to the loss of his position as an officer at Delaware Valley High School (DVHS), a now defunct for-profit alternative school. The government argued that he quit.