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September 1, 2011 | 4:30 pm

Conrad Black talks to Matt Galloway about the broken American criminal justice system (and how it’s done him wrong)

(Image: Charles LeBlanc)

We’ve learned a lot about Conrad Black this week—be it his ability to make friends in the big house or that his verbose style of elocution even extends to anal cavity searches. Today, in an interview with Matt Galloway on the CBC’s Metro Morning, we also learned that Black is a self-professed victim of the American criminal justice system (of course, we’re used to hearing Lord Black insult the court—but this was a little bit different). “Once you’re targeted in the United States,” Black told Galloway, “you don’t really have much chance. And that’s not how a justice system should operate.” We sympathize, Conrad—we all know the American system is broken. But he loses us once he seems to suggest that when people talk about overcrowded prisons and unfairly treated prisoners they’re also talking about wealthy former media barons.

• Conrad Black speaks with Matt Galloway [Metro Morning]

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August 31, 2011 | 2:05 pm
More legal troubles for the Black family: Jonathan Black facing harassment charges 

As if the family of Conrad Black didn’t have enough to deal with, Conrad’s son Jonathan Black is now facing criminal charges for harassing and threatening his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend. Taking a page from the old man’s book, Black Junior says he’s completely innocent and only being prosecuted because of his public position. While we admire the loyalty to his father—and his tactics—we sure hope Jonathan’s got a better legal defence than that. Conrad’s legal strategy of “screw the court, I’m Conrad Black” didn’t keep him out of jail, nor did it get him out early. Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »

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August 31, 2011 | 10:35 am
Apparently Conrad Black isn’t embarrassed about his time in the hoosegow; and he’s also tight with the mafia 

With a serious legal defeat behind him and a return to prison in front of him, the smart play for Conrad Black would probably be to at least appear a little humbled. Of course, that’s just not how Lord Black rolls—hence, an upcoming feature profile in Vanity Fair where the convicted felon says all types of exciting things. First, on the prison experience itself: “I’m not embarrassed in the least bit I was in prison—not the slightest” (he’s also not embarrassed about being guilty of serious crimes either). Then, on making friends in the joint: “I quickly developed alliances with the Mafia people, then the Cubans. I was friendly with the ‘good ol’ boys’ and the African-Americans. They all understood I had fought the system, and I do believe I earned their respect for that.” Uh, right. Black also dishes, with his standard pomp and grandeur, on other, ahem, experiences, including what he calls the “official curiosity about that generally unremitting aperture.” Yuck. Read a preview of the story [Vanity Fair] »

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August 9, 2011 | 12:25 pm

Convicted felon offers political advice to conviction-less NDP separatists and praise for blonde conservative commentators

(Image: Charles LeBlance)

Conrad Black may have spent the last few years of his life watching events in Canada from afar—and from behind bars—but that doesn’t mean he lacks for opinions on the political life of the country. In his latest column in the National Post, the Lord offers the NDP some unsolicited advice on how to get past its current—and rather awkward—“whoops, our interim leader was a BQ-er” phase. Of course, in standard fashion, Black meanders through 600-plus words of verbose copy, this time explaining the history of Quebec politics in the 20th century, before he gets to his point. But when he does finally get there, he makes a boring and completely unoriginal suggestion—merging the New Democrats and the Liberals.

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July 12, 2011 | 9:59 am

Rupert Murdoch momentarily snatches the crown as most despised media baron from Conrad Black

Evil media barons number one and two

The bad news just keeps piling on. First, Conrad Black was sentenced to another 42 months in an American prison. Then, he was fined an extra $125,000 for his troubles (on top of suggestions he should also lose his place in the Order of Canada). But the icing on the cake for Lord Black may just be that when it comes to diabolic media barons, ol’ Conrad’s shenanigans are starting to look a touch tame compared to those of Rupert Murdoch, who’s currently watching his press empire teeter thanks to some pretty despicable reporting tactics.

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June 28, 2011 | 2:00 pm

Conrad Black preparing for “war” against the U.S. justice system—also, working out

(Image: Scott Olson/Conrad Black/Getty Images

We had to admit we were a touch disappointed when Conrad Black’s re-sentencing hearing last week didn’t provoke the usual hyperbolic insanity from the media and the standard puffed-up rhetorical flourish from the Lord. But it turns out Black was just saving up all that pomp and bravado for an email exchange with the Toronto Star, and we’re delighted he decided against going gently into the good night. According to those emails, Black is preparing to get even with the U.S. judicial system and everyone who’s mocked him for his legal troubles in recent years. By our count that amounts to a heck of a lot of people—but no worries, apparently he’s also preparing to get buff.

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June 27, 2011 | 12:30 pm

Conrad Black will have plenty of time to ponder whether insulting the court was the best idea after receiving another year of jail time

Lord Black is going back to the big house (Image: Brian Kersey/Conrad Black/Getty Images)

Conrad Black, former Canadian citizen, current British lord and now and forever a convicted felon, is heading back to prison to serve out another year of incarceration. On Friday, U.S. federal judge Amy St. Eve found that despite the fact that federal prosecutors dropped some of his charges, Black still deserves to spend a little extra time in the slammer. And while Canadian media might be suffering from Conrad fatigue—the reaction to his re-sentencing has been subdued in comparison to previous Black-related events—there is one common thread that is prevailing: don’t spend your time as a free man insulting the U.S. court system, especially when that same U.S. court system is about to decide your fate for the near future.

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June 6, 2011 | 4:46 pm

Apparently, Conrad Black didn’t get that whole “convicted felon” thing, treating cellmates “like servants” and generally being “haughty”

(Image: Charles LeBlance)

There’s no keeping some people down. Despite doing two years in the hoosegow for assorted financial misdeeds, Conrad Black appears not to have let his new environs change him. According to the National Post, the former newspaper magnate treated prison much the same way he treated Hollinger, Inc.: demanding special treatment from workers and somehow managing to make his fellow inmates cook for him, mop his floor, iron his clothes and more.

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May 2, 2011 | 4:01 pm

We decode Conrad Black’s verbose election prediction

In this weekend’s National Post, Conrad Black had his readers reaching for the dictionary once again with a particularly loquacious election prediction. The former newspaper magnate’s article is worth a read—but his language is so verbose that at points it’s nearly impossible to understand. Can you remember the last time you heard the words “excrescence” and “poltroon”? Neither can we. With that in mind, we’ve provided an abridged and annotated version of Black’s thoughts, complete with explanations of his most audacious rhetorical flourishes.

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November 1, 2010 | 4:10 pm

Reaction roundup: the media weighs in on the decision that might send Conrad Black back to prison

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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September 29, 2010 | 1:30 pm

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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September 28, 2010 | 9:50 am

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.

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August 6, 2010 | 12:12 pm

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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July 21, 2010 | 12:29 pm

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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July 20, 2010 | 10:36 am

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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