Conrad Black spared jail before November sentencing News
Conrad Black spared jail before November sentencing

[JURIST] US District Judge Amy St. Eve [official profile] ruled in Chicago Thursday that Canadian-born financier and former media mogul Conrad Black [JURIST news archive] will not have to await his November 30 sentencing in jail. St. Eve nonetheless put restrictions on Black's mobility, holding that in the interim he will only be allowed to travel to Chicago or to West Palm Beach, where he has a home. Black, former chairman of Hollinger International [corporate website], was convicted [JURIST report] last week of mail fraud and obstruction of justice after twelve days of jury deliberations. St. Eve will decide during an August 1 bail hearing whether Black may return to his home in Toronto.

Black, now a British peer, was accused [indictment, PDF] by the US government of diverting more than $80 million from the company and its shareholders [JURIST report] during Hollinger's $2.1 billion sale of several hundred Canadian newspapers. He was found not guilty on separate charges of racketeering, wire fraud, and tax evasion. His conviction on three counts could lead to a maximum sentence of 35 years in prison, and fines of up to $1 million. CBC News has more.