Conrad Black to Report to Prison Monday

A federal appeals court denied Conrad Black's last-minute petition to remain a free while appealing his fraud conviction. The ruling means the once high-flying media mogul must surrender at the Coleman Federal Correctional Institution in Florida on Monday.

A jury found Black guilty last December of defrauding Hollinger shareholders to fund his lavish lifestyle. A judge sentenced him to six and a half years in prison. He will be inmate No. 18330-424.

Black's lawyer, Andrew Frey, said the appeals court ruling was "very disappointing," but was not the final word. "We're very discouraged, but we will soldier on with the appeal," Frey added. "We remain optimistic that in the long run, we still think we will prevail because we have a strong case."

Particularly humbling for Black is the fact that the court has allowed his two co-defendants, Peter Atkinson and John Boultbee, to remain free pending their appeals. They were each convicted of mail and wire fraud.

The Times of London reports that Black will prepare for prison by holding a farewell party this weekend at his waterfront mansion in Palm Beach.

When Black arrives at the low-security, men-only part of the Coleman facility — no later than 2 p.m. on Monday — "he will be strip-searched, fingerprinted and subjected to a DNA test before changing into a prison uniform," The Times notes.

The newspaper adds that Black "will share a cubicle in a prison dormitory with another inmate and subsist on a stodgy diet of dishes such as spaghetti and macaroni cheese."

by Sam Gustin

Former Hollinger International CEO Conrad Black, leaves court after a recess in his trial March 22, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. The trial for Black, who is free on $21 million bail after being charged with racketeering, mail and tax fraud, money laundering and obstruction of justice, today ended its first week. If he is found guilty Black could face up to 101 years in prison. Photograph by Scott Olson/Getty Images