Black can’t get bail

Conrad Black has been in a Florida prison since he was convicted on three counts of fraud and one count of obstruction of justice in 2007— and the former CEO of Hollinger International will be stuck in a cell for at least another 11 months. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review his obstruction of justice charge, but will not release a verdict until June 2010. So Black put forward a motion to be released on bail during the interim. But a U.S. district court judge turned the motion down—saying the convicted fraudster failed to prove that the Supreme Court would likely reverse his conviction or reduce his sentence enough to justify any kind of release. Of the four co-defendants convicted of fraud, Black is the only one still serving time in a U.S. prison. One was not given jail time, another is out on bail, and the third will likely be released on parole from a prison in Ontario.

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