For any Dopers interested in the criminal trial of former media mogul Conrad Black, the jury has reached a verdict and will announce its decision at 10:15 a.m. Chicago time, or in about 20 minutes, Bloomberg is reporting.
Black has been found guilty of fraud, Bloomberg says.
Schadenfreude circuits primed.
More details: Black was found guilty on three fraud charges and a charge of obstruction of justice. He was cleared of some charges of fraud and others involving racketeering and taxes. (All from Bloomberg.)
The advert on the bottom of this thread’s page says “Blown Head Gasket”. I don’t know why, but somehow it seems appropriate.
The Google Ad reads ‘Child with a heart defect?’ i think this is the only instance in which I’d find that funny. i’m actually quite surprised by the verdict. I thought he’d get off, except maybe on the obstruction of justice bit.
My dad was positive he would be found guilty of at least a few charges- and he’s the only person I talked to who thought that. I’ve learned, in my 30 years, that it is usually a good idea to listen to my dad.
I bet he’ll be the only Baron in the US federal penal system.
Snerk… Baron… Penal…
CBC’s reporting guilty on four charges.
Oh, man, am I ever feeling the schadenfreude…
I was reading through a copy of Maclean’s magazine at the dentist today, and turns out “Lady Black” - aka - Barbara Amiel is a writer with the magazine… The woman is such a snot it’s amazing…
Her column was about how Chicago is SUCH a nice city, and if they were there in other circumstances, she’d love to live there… But, of course, they’ll be leaving soon, so it doesn’t matter, blah, blah, blah… There was just such a condescending tone in her article it was hard to stomach.
Guess she’s gonna have *alot *of time to taste Deep Dish Pizza now… 
The entire thing’s just mystifying to me. Black has this hold over the Canadian consciousness that defies any sort of rational explanation; even granting he used to own somne media himself, the depth of feeling people who’ve never met him seem to have for him is just so intense and irrational. A lot of people seem to despise him as if he’s John Wayne Gacy, and some people seem to have this hero-worship thing for him. There’s lots of rich guys around who don’t draw the sort of attention Black does (even before his trial.)
Another intelligent, successful business tycoon who seems unable to distinguish between his own money and that of the shareholders.
This also puts you in mind of Robert Maxwell, another newspaper tycoon who couldn’t keep his hands out of the till. By all accounts Conrad Black isn’t a very nice person. Why does newspaper ownership seem to attract unpleasant people? There is a long line of them, including Randolf Hurst, Robert Maxwell , Conrad Black and Rupert Murdoch. Do you have to be a bastard to own a newspaper ?
And an update: today Conrad Black was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison.