FITZ forced to cancel grand jury for Conrad Black indictments

[kpete]

Black Indicted on Additional Charges
The Associated Press

Black Indicted on Additional ChargesConrad Black Indicted on Additional Charges of Racketeering, Obstruction of Justice


CHICAGO Dec 15, 2005 — Former newspaper mogul Conrad Black was indicted by federal prosecutors Thursday on additional charges that include racketeering and obstruction of justice.

The new charges came two weeks after Black pleaded not guilty to fraud charges in connection with the alleged looting of more than $80 million from the Hollinger International Inc. newspaper empire he once controlled.

The charges were brought in an indictment returned Thursday by a federal grand jury in Chicago and announced by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=1409925


UPDATE FROM RAW STORY

Fitzgerald forced to cancel grand jury for Conrad Black indictments
Jason Leopold and John Byrne


The special prosecutor investigating the outing of CIA officer Valerie Plame Wilson canceled a scheduled meeting with his grand jury because he was called back to Chicago to deal with last-minute elements of a case involving erstwhile media tycoon Conrad Black, RAW STORY has learned.

As of Tuesday evening, Fitzgerald had intended to meet with the grand jury Wednesday, but on early Wednesday morning, Fitzgerald received word from his staff at his Chicago office that he was needed to deal with the Conrad Black case, attorneys familiar with the case said. In addition to serving as a Special Prosecutor in Washington, he remains the U.S. Attorney for Northern Illinois.

Fitzgerald flew back to Chicago Wednesday.
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Fitzgerald_forced_to_cancel_grand_jury_1215.html

[NVMojo]

1. isn't this a pal of the White House cabal?

[stop the bleeding]

2. wouldn't surprise me n/t

[radfringe]

3. they are all pals of the bush* cabal

wonder how DeLay is tied into it? He's got his fingers in alot of other scandals - why not this one

[shraby]

4. Don't know about Delay, but Richard Perle

was implicated in the mess some time ago. Don't know Perle's status in the case anymore.

[DoYouEverWonder]

5. He was/is Richard Perle's money man

Black took the money out of Hollinger and gave it to Perle to finance their dirty deeds.

[kpete]

7. More on Perle/Black

Some of the most intriguing passages in the report deal with Black's relationship to Richard Perle, the former Reagan defense official and neocon icon. In a fine Washington Post article last May, David Hilzenrath described Perle's many misadventures in the private sector, most of which were confined to lobbying. But Perle didn't want to be a mere influence peddler. He wanted to be a businessman, a venture capitalist, a Big Swinging Dick. He saw his opportunity at Hollinger. That's because Conrad Black imagined himself to be not merely a peddler of newspapers, but a Metternich in the boardroom. For Lord Black, owning a media company was an excuse to muse over the Treaty of Vienna with board members like Henry Kissinger. Black and Perle were made for each other. Perle got Black's capital. Black added another trophy to his collection of prize conservative geopolitical thinkers.
http://www.haloscan.com/comments.php?user=atrios&comment=113468052118685861

[kpete]

6. Update

Leak grand jury was cancelled because Fitzgerald had
to deal with Conrad Black case... Fitzgerald was in
Chicago to present racketeering indictment... Developing
http://www.rawstory.com/

[DoYouEverWonder]

8. Black facing racketeering charge

15 December 2005

US federal prosecutors have indicted media tycoon Conrad Black on further charges including racketeering.

Lord Black is also facing additional charges of obstruction of justice, money-laundering and mail fraud, officials confirmed.

The move comes just two weeks after Lord Black pleaded not guilty to eight charges of fraud in a Chicago court.

Lord Black and three executives have been accused of diverting almost $84m (£49m) from Hollinger International.

The latest charges come just a day before he is due to appear in court in Chicago.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4533418.stm

It takes two to racketeer, at least.