Conrad Black

Black was convicted in Illinois U.S. District Court on 13 July 2007 and sentenced to serve 78 months in federal prison, pay Hollinger $6.1 million, in addition to a fine of $125,000.

Black was found guilty of diverting funds for personal benefit from money due Hollinger International when the company sold certain publishing assets and other irregularities. For example, in 2000, in an illegal and surreptitious arrangement that came to be known as the "Lerner Exchange," Black acquired Chicago's Lerner Newspapers and sold it to Hollinger. He also obstructed justice by taking possession of documents to which he was not entitled. The case is still under appeal.

The Supreme Court of the United States heard an appeal of his case on 8 December 2009, ]and rendered a decision in June 2010. Black's application for bail was rejected by both the Supreme Court and the US District Court judge who sentenced him.

On June 24, 2010, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that the definition of "honest services" fraud used in the trial judge's charge to the jury in Black's case was too broad and ordered the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Illinois to review three fraud convictions against Black in light of the Supreme Court's new definition. The appeal court will review Black's case and determine whether his fraud convictions will stand or if there should be a new trial. The jailed former media baron's obstruction of justice conviction, for which he is serving a concurrent 6 ½ year sentence, remains in place. Black's lawyers filed an application for bail pending the appeal court's review. Prosecutors contested Black's bail request arguing in court papers that Black's trial jury had proof that Black committed fraud. He was granted bail on July 19, 2010 by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and will be released on a $2 million unsecured bond put up by conservative philanthropist Roger Hertog. Black has been released from custody and has ordered to remain on bail in the continental United States until at least August 16 when his bail hearing shall resume, and the same day by which Black and the prosecution have been ordered by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals to submit written arguments for that court's review of his case.

Until July 21, 2010, Black, Federal Bureau of Prisons #18330-424, was incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution Low, Coleman, a part of the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex. Prior to being granted bail, his scheduled release date was October 30, 2013.

Following his release, coincidentally on his 18th wedding anniversary, Black wrote a column for Canada's The National Post on his time in prison. Black described America's inmates as an "ostracized, voiceless legion of the walking dead." Black was to appear once again in a Chicago court on August 16 to provide full and detailed financial information to the judge after which she would consider his request to be allowed to return to Canada while on bail. In spite of his professed desire to return to his former home in Canada, Black's legal representatives advised the court that they would not provide the requisite accounting and would thusly not be interested in petitioning the court further on the matter and vacated the August 16 hearing. Although many have cited this refusal to disclose as more deception on the part of Black it is possible that the voluminous amounts of information that would have been required for complete disclosure could not be compiled in time or would have been used to further incriminate Black in later proceedings, a potential violation of the fifth amendment of the constitution in American law. He was, however, under no compulsion to make this disclosure as he had initiated the appeal for a bail variation of his own volition. His next court appearance, where he may reapply for permission to return to Canada, is Sept 20, 2010.