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The news broke Friday that Conrad Black might be heading back to prison. When the U.S. Supremes vacated his convictions in June, there appeared to be a chance that the Lord of Crossharbour would stay out of prison indefinitely. Those chances are slimmer now that the appeals court to which he was sent has decided that Black is still guilty of two of the four counts against him. The finding means Black remains a felon—something many of his friends and media hawks had probably thought he’d avoid. As is always the case with Conrad Black, those friends and hawks had plenty to say about it. Here, a quick roundup of the ink that was spilled.
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Reaction roundup: the media weighs in on the decision that might send Conrad Black back to prison
Conrad Black back in court, likely hoping he picks lawyers better than mayoral candidates
Shortly after noon today, Conrad Black’s lawyers walked into a Chicago courtroom and basically asked a panel of judges to kill the last outstanding charges against him: obstruction of justice and fraud charges that weren’t vacated by the U.S. Supreme Court a few months back. Black has had a long streak of legal luck over the past few months, but the outcome isn’t exactly a sure thing.
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Conrad Black takes time out of his busy schedule to endorse Sarah Thomson
There are some endorsements that a campaign could be excused for running away from. When a convicted felon, say, sends a campaign donation, the smart thing to do is return it promptly. So we’re more than a little curious to see how the Thomson campaign reacts to the strong endorsement from a man who is still technically a convicted felon, Conrad Black. In his latest column for the National Post, he follows up on a column he wrote in April by strongly endorsing Sarah Thomson for mayor.
No Canada for Conrad: Black drops his bid to come home to Hogtown
Happier times: Conrad Black and wife Barbara Amiel at a Cartier gala evening in May 2003 (Image: Dave M. Benett/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images)
It’s been a few good weeks for Conrad Black, what with being released from prison after having his charges stayed by the highest court in America. But it seems that for every two steps forward, his Lordship has to take one step back: Black is now abandoning his attempt to come back to Canada. The reason? The same judge who sent him to the slammer is demanding he file an affidavit about his finances as a condition of leaving the country, and Black’s lawyers are worried it’s just a fishing trip for the prosecutors.
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Conrad Black free on $2-million bail, but can’t come to Toronto
Drawing out this drama even further, U.S. judge Amy St. Eve has set the terms of Conrad Black’s bail. The media baron needs to post $2 million, secured by a friend—and the last week has shown just how many friends and wealthy well-wishers Black has. He also cannot leave the United States, meaning a reunion with family is going to have to happen stateside.
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Mothers, lock up your publicly traded companies: Conrad Black gets bail
Sprung! The Post offers many articles on its former owner's new status
The long-awaited moment is here: Conrad Black, recently vindicated by the U.S. Supreme Court, has been granted bail (but as of Tuesday morning, not yet released). Black still has to appear before the judge who sentenced him to hear the terms of his bail agreement, and it’s possible that Her Honour Amy St. Eve may insist on things like the surrender of his passport, so we may not see Lord Black in Canada for some time yet. The Post, of course, is reporting that we’re his first stop once he can leave the States (the paper may as well have printed the lyrics to “Papa, Can You Hear Me?”); the Star is less sure, and much less enthused.
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Baby got back taxes: Al Capone comparisons write themselves as the IRS asks Conrad Black for $71 million
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Given Conrad Black’s recent legal victories, he’s probably getting all sorts of encouraging letters from well-wishers who look forward to his likely release. One item in the Post, though, was probably less welcome. The paper is reporting that the American IRS has assessed Black’s back taxes, and he owes $71 million.
Conrad Black applies for bail—and he just might get it
Black tie: Conrad in happier in times (Image: Tom Sandler/Getty Entertainment/Getty Images)
As widely expected, Conrad Black isn’t wasting any time trying to get out of his cell block. The former newspaper tycoon, having had most of his charges set aside by the U.S. Supreme Court (nothing says vindication like “mostly not guilty”), is now applying for bail and release from prison. Some important points the court will consider, no doubt, will be that the usually serious obstruction of justice charge was not stayed by the Supremes, and that Black was denied bail when he applied for it in 2008.
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Conrad Black gets media apology and favourable court ruling courtesy of Enron’s Jeffrey Skilling
Regret the error: WSJ says it's sorry to Conrad Black (Image: Kevin Dooley)
Ex–media mogul Conrad Black should send a thank-you card to fellow corporate convict Jeffrey Skilling. The former president and CEO of Enron successfully challenged the use of a statute referred to by the U.S. Supreme Court as the “honest services” law, which was used to convict him of corporate fraud in 2006. Skilling’s challenge also resulted in a public reconsideration of Black’s case and, most importantly for gentlemen like Lord Black, an apology from the Wall Street Journal, which upon enlightened self-reflection found it had been too hard on him.
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Conrad Black (slightly) vindicated, Supreme Court sends case back to court
There will be some cheers from at least one cellblock today: Conrad Black, deposed media baron and convicted felon, got his day in front of the U.S. Supreme Court today. The Supremes held that Black’s conviction on a semi-obscure fraud charge should be overturned and have sent the case back to a lower court.
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Goodbye Black, Hello Spectator
As The Trial of Conrad Black morphs into a blog that might better be titled The Incarceration of Conrad Black (sources for which, let’s face it, could get a little thin on the ground), I’ll be shifting my efforts to a more general blog examining media, business and the business of media. The new blog—titled Spectator and launching today—will have a regular feature called Black Watch, through which will continue this blog’s purview with the promise of a richer offer besides. In reflecting on the course of this blog’s life to date, I have only this to say: keep it coming. Rollicking, raunchy, incisive, intelligent, funny, bad tempered, mean spirited, galling and appalling—just keep it coming. Speech, free and even otherwise, is what separates us from the beasts—and Conrad Black, love him or hate him, is an avatar of same. He gets me up in the morning and incites me (and from the looks of this crowd, every other dog and his dog) to speak. So Keep. It. Coming.
Radler’s prison bound
A Canadian Press story reminds us that today is the day David Radler reports to prison at the Moshannon Valley Correctional Facility in Pennsylvania. Oddly, his inmate number hasn’t turned up on the Bureau of Prisons’ Web site (whereas Black, Boultbee and Atkinson’s all have); an indication, perhaps, that he’ll soon be heading back to B.C. to finish his sentence as a guest of the Crown. Beyond that, the article afforded somebody named James Morton, president of the Ontario Bar Association, the opportunity to spout off as follows: “This is really a tragic saga and we’re seeing the final chapter; it’s sort of the march to the Tower of London.” This, in turn, affords me the opportunity to point out that,
Hollinger three: Circling the drain
With Conrad Black et al. jointly asking for an “emergency” stay to keep them out of prison—at least until the appellate court in the 7th circuit decides the matter of their application to remain free on bail—I am struck by the supreme irony of the Hollinger three tying their fate to common application in this matter. I’m making my way through Steve Skurka’s new book on the trial titled Tilted and came across the following passage, and believe me there’s plenty more like it:
Perhaps Conrad Black was just not loved enough
With a mere two weeks to go before his scheduled self-surrender, Conrad Black could take solace of a sort in the words of three relatively well meaning chroniclers over the weekend. The Irish columnist Ruth Dudley Edwards—long a bona fide FOB—elicited the following stiff-upper-lip missive:
Convict him of arrogance, pomposity and verbosity!
At various stages throughout Conrad Black’s trial I was fortunate to correspond with an august British author and pillar of The City whose views I counted on for their insight, wit and wisdom. With the trial a long way behind us, he agreed—“strictly not for attribution”—to comment broadly for publication on the case and its ramifications. Here are the choicest remarks:
