News In Brief

Jenrette's Abscam conviction upheld by US appeals court

The US Court of Appeals yesterday refused to overturn the 1980 Abscam conviction of former Rep. John Jenrette of South Carolina for bribery and conspiracy. He maintained that he had been the target of an FBI vendetta, but the court found his contentions ''meritless'' and said it could see no basis to grant him a new trial.

Mr. Jenrette was convicted of conspiracy and of accepting a $50,000 bribe in the Abscam investigation and was sentenced to two years in prison and fined $20, 000.