Conrad Black: Fade to Black?

I am torn between two quips: "I’ll be back." as said by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film Terminator giving the impression of a man coming back with a vengeance or paraphrasing the little girl from film Poltergeist II with "Mommy, he’s back." giving the impression of here we go again.

 

Whatever your personal opinion is of the man, Conrad is never far from the media spotlight. Convicted of fraud in 2007 and sentenced to six and a half years’ imprisonment, he was granted bail on July 19, 2010 pending a court decision to retry his conviction. He isn’t out on the street yet, however experts are predicting that Mr. Black will soon find himself out of jail and more than likely, permanently. Yes, the prediction is that once out, he won’t be going back but then again, let’s not be premature.

 

However, back out on the street to what? The IRS has recently slapped him with a $70 million tax bill accusing him of failing to pay taxes on more than $116 million in income. He has sold his posh homes in Manhattan and London. His Florida property is now co-owned by an investment firm, a move to settle an outstanding mortgage. While he still has his Toronto home, it remains up in the air if a U.S. court would grant him bail and allow him to leave the country. He is no longer in control of Hollinger, his former company; and in fact, the company, now in creditor protection, has a claim of hundreds of millions of dollars against Mr. Black, his wife Barbara Amiel, his business partner David Radler and several former Hollinger executives.

 

The next step, the bail hearing, is set for Wednesday morning, July 21, 2010. This will determine whether he is allowed out and the conditions of his release.

 

Whatever the results, will we notice a difference? Despite his incarceration, Mr. Black continues to regularly write for the National Post. And considering his on-going legal battles, his name will certainly not be far from the headlines.

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Wikipedia: Conrad Black

 

History of Conrad Black