FARGO - A man accused of impersonating a lawyer in federal courts around the country testified earlier this year for one of three men convicted in a terrorism-related case, documents show.

Howard O. Kieffer, 53, who currently lives in Duluth, Minn., is facing a Nov. 18 trial in North Dakota federal court on charges of mail fraud and making false statements. He remains free on bail after pleading not guilty in court Monday.

Court documents show Kieffer has participated in federal cases in at least 10 states, including a civil complaint in Florida filed by Kifah Wael Jayyousi, a co-defendant with Jose Padilla and Adham Amin Hassoun, who were convicted of terrorism-related crimes in 2007.

A jury in Miami convicted Padilla, a U.S. citizen who trained at an al-Qaida camp in Afghanistan, and his co-defendants on charges of terrorism conspiracy and support.

Kieffer is the director of Federal Defense Associates in Santa Ana, Calif., and runs an Internet discussion group on federal prison issues. He has been quoted in publications as an expert and has spoken at seminars, authorities said.

In the Florida case, Jayyousi claimed the government violated his constitutional rights by ordering him to serve his sentence in a special unit that imposes tight restrictions on visitors and communications. U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke rejected those arguments.

Court records show Kieffer appeared on behalf of Jayyousi during a June hearing to talk about U.S. Bureau of Prison policies and the conditions at the special unit in Terre Haute, Ind., where Jayyousi is being held. Kieffer was the lone witness.

The judge said Kieffer could not be considered an expert witness but allowed him to take the stand. She later said she could not enter his testimony because Jayyousi failed to list Kieffer as a witness before the hearing.

Anthony Pogorzelski, the government's lawyer in the case, did not return a phone message Tuesday seeking comment.

Under questioning from Pogorzelski on June 5, Kieffer said he earned a degree from Antioch School of Law in 1979 and was licensed to practice in federal courts in California and North Dakota. He admitted in a letter to North Dakota federal court on Aug. 8 that he was not a graduate of an accredited law school or a member of any U.S. District Court bar.

U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland ordered Kieffer disbarred last month.

Tim Purdon, who represented Kieffer at Monday's hearing in Bismarck, said Tuesday that he could not comment because he believes Kieffer will hire another lawyer to defend him.

Court records show Kieffer has represented other clients in federal courts, including a former St. Louis Blues hockey player who pleaded guilty to plotting to kill his agent, and a Colorado woman who was convicted of hiring a hit man to try to kill her former husband.