Media mogul Black gets 6 1/2 years

Former newspaper mogul Conrad Black was sentenced Monday to 6 1/2 years in prison for swindling shareholders in his Hollinger media empire out of $6 million.

“Mr. Black, you have violated your duty to Hollinger International shareholders,” U.S. District Judge Amy J. St. Eve told the millionaire member of the British House of Lords known throughout the newspaper industry for his lavish lifestyle and flamboyant use of words.

Prosecutors had asked for up to 30 years in prison for the Canadian-born Black, saying he had not shown “one shred of remorse” for looting the company that once owned the Chicago Sun-Times, Daily Telegraph of London, Jerusalem Post and hundreds of U.S. and Canadian community newspapers.

“Obviously, there’s a great deal of relief” at the lighter-than-expected sentence, said Black attorney Jeffrey B. Steinback.

Black, currently staying at his estate in Palm Beach, Fla., on a $21-million bond, was given until March 3 to report to prison. Under federal law he must serve 85% of the sentence.

Black left the courthouse without commenting.

St. Eve said three factors led her to impose a sentence of just 78 months. She rejected a claim by prosecutors that Black should be held responsible for $32 million in shareholder losses. She held him responsible for $6 million, which lowered the potential sentencing range.

St. Eve also said Black’s sentence should be closer to that of F. David Radler, his former business partner, who became the government’s star witness at the four-month trial.

Under a plea agreement, Radler will get a 29-month sentence and a $250,000 fine.

In the end, Black was acquitted of nine of the counts against him, including racketeering, and convicted of siphoning $6 million through bonuses disguised as “noncompete” payments from companies that bought Hollinger properties. Black also was convicted of obstruction of justice for removing documents from his offices.