7th Cir. Axes 2 Conrad Black Fraud Verdicts, But OKs Another, Plus Obstruction Conviction
In a partial victory for Conrad Black, a federal appeals court has axed two “honest services” fraud verdicts against the media mogul. However, it upheld a verdict that he was guilty of another kind of fraud, as well as an obstruction conviction, reports the Dealbook blog of the New York Times.
The elimination of the two fraud convictions under the honest services statute had been expected after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling finding that the statute, as broadly applied in the similar case against former Enron chief executive Jeffrey Skilling, was unconstitutionally vague.
It now remains to be seen whether Black will be required to go back to prison when he is resentenced or might simply get time served.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com (July 2010): “Conrad Black Released on Bond After Some $40M in Legal Bills; How Much More Can He Afford to Pay?”
