Conrad Black jurors: 'Justice is served'

“Justice is served,” jurors in Conrad Black’s fraud case said today.

Black was jailed for six-and-a-half years yesterday after the jury convicted him of three counts of mail fraud, and one of obstruction of justice, after a four-month trial earlier this year in which they heard from more than 40 witnesses.

Today, two jurors told the Chicago Sun-Times – a newspaper owned by the parent group whose shareholders Black swindled out of millions of dollars – that it was right for him to serve time behind bars.

Monica Prince, who works as a railway billing clerk in Chicago, said: “Justice is served. He knew he was doing wrong. And it’s only right that he serves his time.”

Another juror, Tina Kadisak, a hairdresser from Woodridge, Chicago, told the newspaper she also thought the sentence was fair.

“I wasn’t expecting anything more than that,” she said.

She said there had been “moments of yelling and screaming” during the 12 days of jury deliberations at the end of the trial.

“Everyone’s got their own breaking point, when no one’s comprehending the points you are trying to make.”

An editorial in the same newspaper said Black “deserves every day he serves”.

It went on: “The Sun-Times suffered for years while Black conspired with former Sun-Times publisher David Radler in their money-bleeding schemes.

“Together the two bilked the company out of millions of dollars.

“Yes, we would have been happier had (Judge Amy) St Eve not allowed Black to keep his Florida mansion.

“But we’ll take solace in knowing time doesn’t fly in the slammer, where research materials for author Black’s next thick biography will be in short supply.”