An appellate court has ruled that a diamond dealer who pulled off a particularly elaborate scam will be released from prison earlier than his prior sentence.

In the diamond scam, diamond dealer Norman Schonfeld conned more than $6 million in diamonds from a dozen wholesalers in 2001. He then went on to blame his son, who proceeded to testify against him.

Following an eight-week trial, the crooked diamond dealer was convicted of 40 crimes. His sentence included paying back nearly $6 million in restitution. To date, he has served nearly five years of a 16-to-32-year prison sentence.

In a 3-to-2 decision, the court reduced Schonfeld’s sentence to 8-1/2-to-17 years last week. He could be released from prison as early as 2011.

The majority called the original sentence "excessive." The opposing judges called former diamantaire Schonfeld "a fraud and recidivist with no qualms about casting blame on others, including his own son, to save his own neck."