The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit shot down an attempt by disbarred attorney and federal prisoner Scott Rothstein to reduce his 50-year sentence for running a $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme—among the largest in history.

Rothstein was disbarred after pleading guilty to wire fraud, racketeering, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud after it emerged he used his  then-Fort Lauderdale law firm Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler to perpetuate the scheme.