Also. . .

* Beverly Hills-based JB Oxford & Co., the broker-dealer subsidiary of JB Oxford Holdings Inc., said that Executive Vice President Albert Laubenstein has been named acting president and chief executive, replacing Stephen Rubenstein, who is no longer with the company. No explanation was given for Rubenstein’s departure.

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* The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco upheld the fraud convictions of Earl W. Brian, former chairman of United Press International and Financial News Network and a former state health secretary under Gov. Ronald Reagan. Brian was convicted in 1996 of bank fraud, lying to auditors and conspiring to cover up financial problems at UPI and FNN in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison but was free on bail during his appeal. Brian sought to overturn his sentence by arguing that the judge was biased. Brian’s lawyer, Richard H. Kirschner, was not available for comment.

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* Atlanta-based Pony Express Delivery Services Inc. said it acquired Courier Express Inc., a Los Angeles-based delivery service company. Terms weren’t disclosed. Pony Express said the purchase will allow it to expand into the West.