Black likely to remain free until November sentencing
The media baron was convicted in a Chicago courtroom on Friday of three fraud charges as well as obstruction of justice. He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 30, and a detention hearing will be held Thursday to determine whether he spends the next 4• ½ months in jail or free on bail.
While federal prosecutors argue Black is a flight risk and should be incarcerated in the interim, legal experts say it is unlikely he is going to prison yet.
"I don't think he will be detained," said Ted Chung, a former prosecutor and a partner with the law firm of Perkins Coie in Chicago. "He has not failed to appear for any court-required appearances to date; he has a high profile in numerous countries, so he cannot easily run away and hide, and he had posted a huge bond."
Following his conviction, Judge Amy St. Eve ordered Black to surrender his British passport and to stay in the Chicago area.
Even if the judge this week permits Black to travel beyond the United States, it is unlikely that he will be able to return to Canada.
Although he is attempting to regain the citizenship he renounced in 2001 to become a member of the British House of Lords, Black is now a convicted felon and therefore inadmissible to Canada under immigration laws. Diane Finley, minister of citizenship and immigration, could grant Black permanent resident status, but neither she nor her Cabinet colleagues have the power to restore his citizenship.
Black posted a $20 million bond before the trial, using his Palm Beach mansion as main collateral.
National Post