Conrad Black found guilty on 4 counts

[LashL]

A Chicago jury has found Conrad Black guilty of three counts of mail fraud and one count of obstructing justice.

Black's co-accused were each found guilty of wire fraud, as well.

I followed the trial via the media and, personally, would not have convicted on the evidence that was reported.

Black intends to appeal the decision.

Link

 

[Darat]

Oh well never mind until he gets sent to prison he can keep himself occupied by creating and voting on UK legislation...

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

A Chicago jury has found Conrad Black guilty of three counts of mail fraud and one count of obstructing justice.

Black's co-accused were each found guilty of wire fraud, as well.

I followed the trial via the media and, personally, would not have convicted on the evidence that was reported.

Black intends to appeal the decision.

Link

I think the jury did a good job. He was convicted on the charges the showed the most egregious bending of the law. I cannot see how he could have failed to be convicted on the obstruction of justice charge.

 

[WildCat]

Take that Canada!

 

[Dr Adequate]

From the link:

"Black's lawyer asked jurors not to convict him just because he's rich."

Yes, yes, I know, but I like verbal ambiguity.

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

I think the jury did a good job. He was convicted on the charges the showed the most egregious bending of the law. I cannot see how he could have failed to be convicted on the obstruction of justice charge.

Following up to myself.

I heard Eddy Greenspan, Black's lawyer, on the radio earlier and apparently one of the things that they may appeal the verdict on is the obstruction of justice conviction. He was suggesting (as I understood him to say) that the court did not have juristiction. Note that he was very careful to repeat (a number of times) that no decision about what they were going to do next had as yet been made.

I guess if he wins on this it will be on a technicality. For those who don't know the circumstances -- he was videotaped taking boxes of documents from his office.

 

[volatile]

I followed the trial via the media and, personally, would not have convicted on the evidence that was reported.

Me too, but in the UK media, who I'm guessing may have treated him more harshly (even from its declared neutral stance). I certainly had trouble seeing how he could have possibly been acquitted of the Obstructing Justice charge...

I think, on balance, the acquittal for racketeering was correct. But the conviction for fraud too seems pretty fair, given the lengths he went to to divert company funds away from shareholders and into his own pocket.

 

[Jimbo07]

I guess if he wins on this it will be on a technicality. For those who don't know the circumstances -- he was videotaped taking boxes of documents from his office.

Yeah... but they were only personal effects.

 

[Corsair 115]

Take that Canada!

Eh, not really. Black renounced his Canadian citizenship some years back so he could become a Lord in the U.K.

 

[WildCat]

Eh, not really. Black renounced his Canadian citizenship some years back so he could become a Lord in the U.K.

Maybe so, but I hear this story is huge in Canada. And Canadians are worried that we barbarians will not offer His Lordship a fair trial, that we'll throw him in a pond to see if he sinks or something.

For some reason, he doesn't get the scorn that Ken Lay and Bernie Ebbers received, go figure.

 

[Corsair 115]

Maybe so, but I hear this story is huge in Canada.

That is true, it has been getting plenty of coverage up here.

And Canadians are worried that we barbarians will not offer His Lordship a fair trial, that we'll throw him in a pond to see if he sinks or something.

I've not seen that at all, certainly not in any of the news reports I've happened to see.

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

Maybe so, but I hear this story is huge in Canada. And Canadians are worried that we barbarians will not offer His Lordship a fair trial, that we'll throw him in a pond to see if he sinks or something.

For some reason, he doesn't get the scorn that Ken Lay and Bernie Ebbers received, go figure.

Actually, many Canadians (myself included) are more pis . . , upset, that the US courts did the job that should have been done here. The wheels of Canadian justice system grind pretty damn slow. Thank you for the job you did.

As far as the amount of scorn is concerned -- Black is really a good business man and every one made money. Just not as much as they should have if the profits had been fairly distributed.

 

[Bandersnatch]

Maybe so, but I hear this story is huge in Canada. And Canadians are worried that we barbarians will not offer His Lordship a fair trial, that we'll throw him in a pond to see if he sinks or something.

I was hoping for a conviction.