Remember the Conrad Black trial? Verdicts have come out, and it’s a mixed bag. All of the defendants (along with Black, there were three co-defendants) were found not guilty of not filing corporate tax returns. However, Black was found guilty of criminal fraud and obstruction of justice. An appeal is expected.
Columnist Mark Steyn has been blogging this trial for Macleans, the Canadian news magazine. Steyn notes,
“[Black] has been found GUILTY in just two narrow areas – “obstruction of justice” re the security camera footage of him removing boxes from 10 Toronto Street, and three “mail fraud” counts relating to the APC non-compete agreement, in which (as the government argued) Black and Radler paid Black and Radler not to compete with Black and Radler.”
When you fight the government, you face a tough battle. As Steyn noted, “The US Attorney’s office might usefully adopt as its motto the IRA’s message to Mrs. Thatcher after the Brighton bombing, ‘You have to be lucky every time. We only have to be lucky once.'”
Given Black’s age (62), he could be looking at life. Sentencing will be in November.
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