Black Sentence Could Be Just 5 Years

A confidential report prepared for the judge in the Conrad Black trial suggests that the disgraced media baron might receive a jail sentence far shorter than the 24-30 years prosecutors are seeking. The pre-sentencing report gives a much lower estimate for the scale of Black's fraud—$6.1 million, not the prosecution's $32.15 million—and recommends about five years behind bars.

The discrepancy for how much money Black obtained via fraudulent means, reports the Times of London, stems from the mixed verdict against the tycoon, who was convicted in July on only three of six charges. The prosecution has filed an objection to the pre-sentencing report, which the judge will consider when sentencing Black—whose properties included the Chicago Sun-Times—on Dec. 10. (More Chicago Sun Times stories.)