Ex-Sun-Times publisher to be sentenced today
DAVID RADLER | Helped skim millions with Black
More than two years after pleading guilty to criminal fraud, former Sun-Times publisher David Radler is expected to be sentenced to prison today for helping skim millions of dollars from the newspaper's parent company.
The 65-year-old Radler likely faces a 29-month prison term as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors that required him to testify earlier this year against former business partner Conrad Black.
But U.S. District Court Judge Amy J. St. Eve still could impose a different sentence on Radler, who during Black's trial spent eight days on the witness stand.
Black last week was sentenced to 6½ years in prison for stealing millions from the newspaper empire he and Radler had created.
The two men at one point ran a worldwide media conglomerate that contained about 300 newspapers, including the Sun-Times, London's Daily Telegraph and the Jerusalem Post.
Federal prosecutors contended Black, the onetime head of Hollinger International Inc., stole more than $32 million from shareholders as he began selling off parts of the company in the late 1990s. At Black's sentencing, St. Eve concluded Black's crimes cost the newspaper company a lesser amount -- about $6 million.
Once federal prosecutors began investigating fraud allegations, Radler in 2005 pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and agreed to testify against Black and other company officials.
The proposed plea deal Radler reached with federal prosecutors could allow him to serve his sentence in his native Canada, where he could serve a much shorter term than the recommended 29 months.
Radler's attorney, Anton Valukas, declined comment on the sentencing.
Prosecutors couldn't be reached for comment.