He was once a media mogul who socialized with prime ministers, presidents and statesmen. Now Conrad Black is a convicted felon facing as much as 20 years in prison for fraud and obstruction of justice.
Lord Black sat sternly as Judge Amy St. Eve read the verdict form by count yesterday.
The jury of nine women and three men found him guilty of three counts of mail fraud and one count of obstruction of justice.
Three other former executives of Hollinger International Inc., John Boultbee, Peter Atkinson and Mark Kipnis, were found guilty of three mail-fraud charges.
It could have been far worse for Lord Black.
Juror Tina Kadisak told The Globe and Mail that up to the very end of deliberations, a majority of jurors wanted to convict Lord Black and the others on at least one more fraud count. But in the end, they were persuaded by three holdouts to enter a not guilty verdict. Ms. Kadisak added that they were also undecided on charges of racketeering and tax evasion, but finally opted for not guilty verdicts after 12 days of tense deliberations.
The verdicts ended a four-month trial and a criminal investigation that has gone on for more than two years. The conviction will only deepen Lord Black's already sizable legal troubles.
His assets have been frozen under an agreement with one of his former companies, Hollinger Inc., he faces a host of civil suits, and stock regulators in Canada and the United States have legal action under way.
Lord Black showed no emotion as he left the court. During a break in the hearing he huddled with his wife Barbara Amiel and his daughter Alana and fielded calls on a cellphone.
Once the verdicts were entered, lead prosecutor Eric Sussman asked Judge St. Eve to revoke Lord Black's bail and send him to prison pending a sentencing hearing slated for Nov. 30. The three other defendants had their bail extended.
Mr. Sussman argued that Lord Black was a flight risk, noting that he faces between 15 and 20 years in prison. He also said that Lord Black had already violated the terms of his existing $21-million (U.S.) bail, secured against his mansion in Palm Beach, Fla., by failing to meet financial commitments on the house.
Judge St. Eve deferred the bail issue until Thursday to give Lord Black's lawyers a chance to prepare a response. But she ordered Lord Black to hand over his passport and remain in the Chicago area until that hearing. She also asked him directly if he would appear at the sentencing hearing. "Absolutely," Lord Black said firmly.
Lord Black then pulled out his passport, gave it to the judge and left the court with his family. He had nothing to say to a horde of reporters as he walked slowly out of he courthouse holding Lady Black's hand.
Edward Greenspan, a Toronto lawyer representing Lord Black, said an appeal was already in the works.
"Obviously we're disappointed; we came here to be acquitted of everything," Mr. Greenspan said afterward. "But we are not disheartened."
He declined to comment on Lord Black's reaction to the verdict other than to say: "He's doing okay."
Mr. Greenspan pointed out that Lord Black had been acquitted of the bulk of the charges against him. "We came here to face 13 counts in an indictment. Conrad Black has been acquitted of all the central charges," he said.
"There are viable legal issues. We vehemently disagree with [Mr. Sussman's] position on sentencing. We believe, based on the convictions of the charges here, the sentences for these types of offences are far less than what [Mr. Sussman] suggests."
Patrick Fitzgerald, the United States Attorney for the Chicago area, told reporters the conviction sends a powerful message to company officers and directors.
