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Rockefeller Impostor Challenges Mass. Conviction

Lawyers for a German man who pretended to be a member of the Rockefeller family argued that his conviction for kidnapping his daughter should be thrown out because a prosecutor denigrated his insanity defense.

Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, who used the name Clark Rockefeller, is serving a four- to five-year sentence.

During closing arguments at Gerhartsreiter's trial, the prosecutor noted his history of using aliases and urged jurors not to let his insanity claim "be the culminating manipulation in a lifetime of lies."

Gerhartsreiter's lawyer argued before the Massachusetts Appeals Court on Friday the statement helped "eviscerate" his defense.

A prosecutor said the statement highlighted evidence of Gerhartsreiter's lies.

Gerhartsreiter has nearly completed his Massachusetts sentence. He is awaiting trial in California on a charge of murdering his landlady's son in 1985.

This program aired on June 1, 2012. The audio for this program is not available.

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