Conrad, We Hardly Knew Ye

He is a deeply devout Catholic and a statesman who supported the United States in dark times. He is a man respected by academics and politicians, as well as by his servants.

And he is about to be sentenced after being convicted of three counts of mail fraud and one count of obstruction of justice.

That would be Conrad Black, of course.

Black is scheduled to be sentenced before a federal judge in Chicago on December 10, and his lawyers have filed with the court a 53-page document with a flattering portrait of the fallen newspaper baron and about 100 letters of support from luminaries including Elton John, Rush Limbaugh, and Brian Mulroney, the former prime minister of Canada.

Such letter-writing campaigns are not uncommon. Martha Stewart had many letters of support for her sentencing, but her lawyer in the trial, Robert Morvillo, says he believed they had no impact.

The judge in that case, he said, "sentenced based on the conduct, rather than on the prior good life that Martha Stewart had, as attested to in the letters."

"Some judges are more likely to be impressed by that than others." In Black's case, "I don't know whether the judge is an Elton John fan," he said.

"Most judges who receive a letter from Elton John probably would not be overly impressed with the fact that Elton John was saying something nice," Morvillo said. "Now if it was President Bush writing the letter, the judge would have to pay more attention."

Still, "it's important to humanize the defendant," he noted.

Black hired Jeffrey Steinback, one of Chicago's leading experts on the federal sentencing guidelines, after his conviction in July. "I don't know if there is anyone better than Jeff in portraying the human side of a defendant," a Chicago defense lawyer told the Chicago Tribune in July.

That will be important for Black, whose public image has emphasized his high living among the political and financial elites in Toronto, New York, and London. Black had built a global newspaper empire that included the Telegraph of London and the Chicago Sun-Times before prosecutors accused him and associates of looting his newspaper company Hollinger International of more than $80 million.

Much is stake in the sentencing arguments. Steinback's brief contends that Black should receive 29 months, the same prison term accepted by F. David Radler, Black's former business partner and the government's star witness. But federal prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of at least 15 years. A ruling will be made by Judge Amy St. Eve of the United States District Court in Chicago.

Here are some highlights from the brief's warm and fuzzy portrait of Black, which also included excerpts from his autobiography:

"Alana Black writes of a childhood filled with reading, games, biking, badminton, and diversions, which helped an eight-year-old tolerate 75 minute Latin masses."

"He has a chapel in his home in Toronto, described by his long time friend Seth Lipsky, as 'spare and elegant...On Saturday evenings during the trial, Mr. Black could be found attending mass at the Holy Name Cathedral before taking long, contemplative walks alone the Chicago lake front.'"

"Mr. Black has remained consistently passionate about his defense of the United States. In the words of George Will, Conrad 'loves this country with a deeply informed passion.'"

"Joel Friel, who worked as a receptionist at Hollinger for 12 years...attests: 'Mr. Black cared about all his staff members from the top rung to the bottom rung.'...As a matter of practice, Conrad advised Ms. Friel that she did not have to tolerate rudeness directed to her or anyone else from visitors or callers."

"To his journalists and editors, Conrad offered professional encouragement as well as personal support. Charles Moore related that Conrad was never in too much of a hurry to listen to ones problems and in some instances discovered personal difficulties suffered by his staff even without being told...Emmett Tyrell related that Conrad kept older writers on staff to protect their livelihood and dignity."

"Mr. Black arranged for a housekeeper named Leonor, whose English was limited, to attend Hunter College to advance her opportunities in this country...When another housekeeper, Julia, suffered a nervous breakdown due to her divorce, Mr. Black paid close attention to her problems and paid for a year of therapy to help bring her out of her depression."

Karen Donovan