Jailed Media Baron Conrad Black Hoping For Bush Pardon

Conrad Black is pinning his hopes on clemency from U.S. President George W. Bush as a last-ditch effort to get out of jail early, and he wants his former publishing company to foot the legal bill.

Lawyers for the deposed press baron, who is serving a 61/2-year prison sentence in Florida for fraud and obstruction of justice, recently submitted legal bills to Sun-Times Media Group, Inc., some of which referred to work done in pursuit of a clemency plea, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The sources said the company is balking at shouldering the payments, even though it has been forced by the courts to pay $117-million (U.S.) on the defence of Lord Black and other former company officials.

"We try to draw the line at outrageous things, and this is sort of one of them," said one person close to the company, once a sprawling Chicago-based newspaper empire known as Hollinger International Inc.

Read the entire article here.

Comments

[rudiy]

12:39 PM on 11/24/2008

Reading the Canadian newspaper blogs you get the cooments of how bad the US prison sysyem is and how Black is so concerned with the welfare of other inmates. Wow, what a world, what a guy! This guy owned many news outlets and never commiserated with prisoners until he became one.

[sticksnstones]

07:43 PM on 11/23/2008

Let him eat baba au rhum.......

[tcuoohjohn]

08:58 PM on 11/22/2008

Inmate Locator - Locate Federal inmates from 1982 to present
Name Register # Age-Race-Sex Release Date
Location
1. CONRAD M BLACK 18330-424 64-White-M 10-30-2013 COLEMAN LOW FCI

He's the sweetheart of cellblock B

[tcuoohjohn]

08:54 PM on 11/22/2008

Black gave up his Canadian Citizenship IN a public huff to take a seat in the British House of Lords. When he was convicted of fraud and embezzlement in the US he asked to be transferred to a Canadian prison ( much nicer apparently) based upon his Canadian citizenship. The request was denied because Black had voluntarily relinguished his Canadian citizenship! Black then applied for Canadian citizenship and was rejected because he was a convicted felon!...MuwhahaHAHA.

[WNCmom]

02:40 AM on 11/22/2008

Let him rot in his cell like the other corporate scum

[thecanadian]

12:39 AM on 11/22/2008

Black gave up his Canadian Citizenship! He chose to be "Lord Black" - he can go back to England when he gets out - after he serves his full sentence! And take his wife with him!. We don't want him!

[SuesW]

10:34 PM on 11/21/2008

He just got sentenced, and he was guilty ... no pardon for him. And he can forget about becoming a Canadian again ... we don't want him back.

[David423]

10:32 PM on 11/21/2008

I hope his plea fails and he has to fill the
full sentence in the US
The longer he's out of our country--Canada--
all the better.

[dagnome27]

06:36 PM on 11/21/2008

Mr Black, you are at the bottom of a LONG list of B.ush administration criminals who will likely be pardoned long before you might ever be considered for it. You broke it, you should pay for it.

[craneman]

10:06 PM on 11/21/2008

" If he hollers, make him pay 50 dollars every day "

[kloche]

05:50 PM on 11/21/2008

I am a Canadian and I think that Conrad Black should be serving time in a Siberian gulag. What a crook and fraud. No wonder he is a card carrying GOP supporter.

[CHIPKEEPER]

03:44 PM on 11/21/2008

this so small compared to the pardons that are coming. just wait

[breezyholler]

05:28 AM on 11/22/2008

These pardons will come like Santa throwing candy from a float in the Christmas parade.....Bush is without shame and integrity.....and there is really nothing we can do to stop him....only pray that we can fix America after he is gone....and pray also that he won't pull off some kind of coup before Jan. 20th. to delay the inauguration of Obama....Bush and Cheney operate like they are exempt from justice.....this is the extreme of arrogance !!!

[one4obama]

03:28 PM on 11/21/2008

I have an excellent idea!!

How about Bush grant all those pardons, but with one stipulation. He, Cheney, Rummy and the rest of his criminal cohorts instead serve the remainder of all these pardoned criminals times!

Ohh, I would certainly go for that!!

[breezyholler]

05:35 AM on 11/22/2008

I have a better idea...perhaps Bush could follow the Sarah Palin strategy ...from the scene in Wasilla where she pardons one thanksgiving turkey.....then it's 'off with the heads' of the rest of them, live on camera...

[one4obama]

03:26 PM on 11/21/2008

Aw, I think Conrad needs to stay in jail longer - heck, the lifers in there need a good piece of rich meat to sustain them!!

[395spoons]

03:06 PM on 11/21/2008

I don't know why Bush would pardon a "felon" British citizen!

[radiclib]

02:51 PM on 11/21/2008

.
.
Send him to Gitmo.
Interrogate him there legally and lawfully with waterboarding.
.
.

[rabprevent]

03:30 PM on 11/21/2008

I second that and if you include hannity, rush, Ingraham, reagan, salvage, cunnigham and all the other lossers, I will bring them there and conduct the interrogation myself

[LoveFromLondon]

04:58 PM on 11/21/2008

That's good, he used to love spending time lounging on Caribbean islands.