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| Version 8 | Version 9 |
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| Black gets six-and-a-half years | Black gets six-and-a-half years |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Former media tycoon Conrad Black has been sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison. | Former media tycoon Conrad Black has been sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison. |
| He has been told to report to prison in 12 weeks and will remain free on $21m (£10.3m) bail until then. | He has been told to report to prison in 12 weeks and will remain free on $21m (£10.3m) bail until then. |
| The sentence was at the lower end of the guidelines outlined by the judge, Amy St Eve. He was also fined $125,000 (£61,000) by the Chicago court. | The sentence was at the lower end of the guidelines outlined by the judge, Amy St Eve. He was also fined $125,000 (£61,000) by the Chicago court. |
| The member of the UK's House of Lords was found guilty of three counts of fraud and one of obstructing justice. | The member of the UK's House of Lords was found guilty of three counts of fraud and one of obstructing justice. |
| Black will also have to forfeit $6.1m, which is the amount that a pre-sentencing report sent to the judge calculated had been stolen from shareholders. | Black will also have to forfeit $6.1m, which is the amount that a pre-sentencing report sent to the judge calculated had been stolen from shareholders. |
| Government prosecutors had called for a prison term of between 16 and 24 years. | Government prosecutors had called for a prison term of between 16 and 24 years. |
| He still professes his innocence and plans to appeal. | He still professes his innocence and plans to appeal. |
| Tax-free bonuses | Tax-free bonuses |
| Together with his business associates, Black was convicted of stealing millions of dollars from shareholders of Hollinger International, of which he was chairman. | Together with his business associates, Black was convicted of stealing millions of dollars from shareholders of Hollinger International, of which he was chairman. |
| They were found to have paid themselves tax-free bonuses from the sale of newspaper assets without the approval of the company's board. class="" href="/1/hi/business/7137461.stm">Did he get off lightly? class="" href="/1/hi/business/6896015.stm">Timeline: Conrad Black | |
| In addition, Black was convicted on one count of obstructing justice, after being recorded on tape removing documents from his office in Toronto after US regulators had informed him he was under investigation. | In addition, Black was convicted on one count of obstructing justice, after being recorded on tape removing documents from his office in Toronto after US regulators had informed him he was under investigation. |
| If the judge had accepted more of the prosecution's assertions about the size of the fraud and Black's role in it then he could have faced as much as 35 years in prison. | If the judge had accepted more of the prosecution's assertions about the size of the fraud and Black's role in it then he could have faced as much as 35 years in prison. |
| "It's a lenient sentence - the judge was clearly very tolerant of his remorseless tirades," Black's biographer Tom Bower told BBC News. | "It's a lenient sentence - the judge was clearly very tolerant of his remorseless tirades," Black's biographer Tom Bower told BBC News. |