Chicago judges hear arguments in appeal of former media mogul Conrad Black’s fraud conviction
By APWednesday, September 29, 2010
Judges hear arguments in Conrad Black appeal
CHICAGO — A lawyer for Conrad Black has asked a federal appeals court in Chicago to toss out the former media mogul’s fraud conviction.
Defense attorney Miguel Estrada argued during a Wednesday hearing that jurors who convicted Black gave too much weight to a law that’s since been deemed largely unconstitutional.
The U.S. Supreme Court curtailed so-called “honest services” laws in June, so Estrada says judges should toss Black’s conviction for defrauding Hollinger International Inc. investors.
The prosecution argued what underpinned Black’s 2007 conviction wasn’t so much the disputed law as the simple notion that Black stole money.
Black is free on bail while his appeal is considered. He wasn’t in court Wednesday.
