Black in the News
Media mogul Conrad Black appeared in a United States Court of Appeals to challenge his criminal convictions on Wednesday, September 29, 2010.
Black, a native of Canada, is a well known publisher and columnist who at one time was the third largest newspaper magnate in the world, running more than 400 newspapers. He was the former Hollinger International Incorporated chairman and was in charge of publishing major newspapers such as The Chicago Sun Times, National Post, The Daily Telegraph, and the Jerusalem Post.
In 2007, Black, along with other Hollinger executives, was convicted of selling a small California newspaper, The Mammoth Times, and pocketing $5.6 million off the sale. Prosecutors claim that the money from the sale belonged to Hollinger and that Black concealed a portion of the sale from the company’s audit committee.
Black’s lawyers believe that discredited legal theories could have been used to find him guilty of three counts of fraud and one count of obstruction of justice. The United States Supreme Court ruled that the term “honest services” fraud, used by the prosecution, was too broad of a charge and was inappropriately overused. The appeals case will be reviewed to determine whether Black’s convictions will stand or if he will be granted a new trial.
On July 19, 2010, Black was released from prison mid-sentence on a $2 million bond after serving more than two years of his six and one-half years prison term. If Black wins his appeals cases he will still have to face several civil suits filed against him relating to Hollinger. Black is also being pursued by the United States tax authorities for unpaid taxes in the amount of $71 million.
