Wichita ? A former Kansas social worker convicted of enslaving mentally ill residents of the Newton group home he ran with his wife has lost an appeal of his 30-year sentence.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday rejected claims by Arlan Kaufman that his trial attorney was ineffective.

Arlan and Linda Kaufman were convicted in November 2006 of forcing residents to work naked at their farm and perform sexual acts over a 15-year period, while billing their families and the government for “nude therapy” sessions.

A three-judge of the appeals court not only disagreed with Arlan Kaufman’s claims of ineffective counsel, but also noted that the evidence against him was overwhelming.