Former Detroit Riverfront Conservancy CFO William Smith late Tuesday appealed his 19-year federal prison sentence for stealing $44.3 million, accusing a judge of issuing unreasonable and arbitrary punishment for one of the largest, longest-running and most lucrative frauds in Detroit history.

The appeal filed in the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati offered a critical look at the punishment in a high-profile case that exceeded the sentence sought by prosecutors. Instead, U.S. District Judge Susan DeClercq gave the corrupt businessman one year in prison for each year he worked for the conservancy.

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