All kudos to Fitzie: Conrad Black indicted on $80m fraud

by **emad** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 2:03 pm

Criminal charges await Conrad Black · Executives accused of siphoning $80m · Alleged frauds could bring 40-year prison sentence David Teather in New York Friday November 18, 2005 The Guardian Conrad Black, once one of Britain's most powerful and colourful press barons, was facing criminal charges in the US last night as the authorities issued a warrant for his arrest and threatened to seek his extradition if he did not turn himself in. In an indictment unsealed in Chicago yesterday, the former Daily Telegraph owner and three other executives from the Hollinger group he once ran, are accused of fraud, including the abuse of corporate perks. They are alleged to have diverted more than $80m (£47m) into their own pockets. As an example, the indictment cited one supposed incident four years ago. In the summer of 2001, Lord Black, is alleged to have chartered the corporate jet to fly him and his wife, Barbara Amiel, to Bora Bora in the south Pacific for a week's getaway. When the accountants at the Telegraph's owner, Hollinger International, asked him to reimburse the company, he sent a typically fierce email in reply: "Needless to say, no such outcome is acceptable." In another alleged episode, the indictment claims that in December 2000, Lord Black threw a party for his wife at La Grenouille restaurant in New York, at a cost of $62,000. He allegedly charged the company $40,000 without disclosing it to the board. The US attorney for Northern Illinois, Patrick Fitzgerald, said Lord Black and his colleagues had made it their job to "steal and conceal" from the company. He described the alleged fraud as "the grossest abuse". If convicted Lord Black faces up to 40 years in prison. The indictment names Lord Black, former chief finance officer Jack Boultbee, ex-vice president Peter Atkinson, and ex-legal counsel Mark Kipnis. Prosecutors are also seeking the forfeiture of $80m from the men. They recently seized $8.5m from the sale of Lord Black's home in New York. US authorities appeared to be closing in three months ago when criminal charges were filed against Mr Kipnis and another former right-hand man, David Radler - who broke ranks in September, pleading guilty to fraud charges, and agreeing to cooperate with investigators; Mr Radler will face 29 months in prison and pay a $250,000 fine. The latest indictment contained fresh allegations. It claims the defendants conspired to pocket $51.8m in 2000 from Hollinger's $2.1bn sale of several hundred Canadian newspapers. The money was disguised as "non-competition" fees and shared among the company's top executives, the indictment said. Non-competition fees guarantee that the seller of the newspapers will not go back into a market to compete with the buyer, but the payments are usually to corporate entities, not individuals. The indictment alleged that the men failed to disclose the payments to the Hollinger board. The indictment also repeats allegations in the August indictment, now expanded to include all the defendants. Those focus on $32m in non-competition fees from various other transactions. In a statement last night, Edward Greenspan, Lord Black's counsel, said: "Conrad Black asserts his innocence without qualification with respect to each and every one of the charges set forth in the indictment. It will be shown that he has, at all times, acted within the law." Investors in Hollinger International have argued that the non-competition fees are just the tip of the iceberg. The company has sued for the return of $425m following a lengthy internal investigation. Lord Black also faces civil fraud charges from the US watchdog, the securities and exchange commission, accusing him of treating Hollinger as a "personal piggybank". The scandal effectively sounded the end of Hollinger International, now broken up. The Daily Telegraph was sold to the billionaire Barclay twins. Timeline May 2003: Shareholder Tweedy Browne demands an investigation into bonuses and fees paid to Lord Black and others at Hollinger International. November 2003: An internal investigation turns up millions of dollars in payments not approved by the board and Lord Black stands down as Hollinger chief executive. January 2004: Lord Black is ousted as Hollinger chairman. June 2004: The Daily Telegraph, the Sunday Telegraph and the Spectator sold to the Barclay brothers for £665m. August 2004: An internal inquiry accuses Lord Black and others of taking $400m in unauthorised fees and excessive compensation. Lord Black accused of running a "corporate kleptocracy". Hollinger sues Lord Black. November 2004: The US financial watchdog files civil charges against Lord Black accusing him and others of pocketing $85m of company funds. April 2005: Lord Black counter-sues. August 2005: Fraud charges filed against former Hollinger executives David Radler and Mark Kipnis. September 2005: Mr Radler pleads guilty. November 2005: Fraud charges filed against Lord Black and three others. <a href="http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,16781,1645566,00.html">business.guardian.co.uk/s...66,00.html</a>

by **dbeach** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 3:07 pm

nice to see this crook put down Wunder IF Mr. Fitzgerald will catch some bigger fish Sure is enough of em..

by **emad** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 11:41 am

Fitzie and Elliot Spitzer = My joint No1 fav heroes. From the BBC today: New move in US leak investigation The US prosecutor leading the inquiry into the leaking of the identity of a CIA agent says the case will involve fresh proceedings before a grand jury. Patrick Fitzgerald is investigating whether the White House deliberately revealed the name of Valerie Plame. The inquiry has already led to the indictment of former vice-presidential aide Lewis Libby on perjury charges. Mr Fitzgerald's statement that he is working with a new grand jury could mean he is planning more charges. The term of the last grand jury expired last month. Mr Libby quit as Dick Cheney's chief of staff after he was charged on five counts of perjury, making false statements and obstructing justice. Prior knowledge President George W Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove, remains under investigation. On Monday, veteran Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward testified that he was told that Ms Plame was a CIA agent by an administration official - apparently not Mr Rove or Mr Libby - a month before she was unmasked. Valerie Plame is the wife of former US ambassador Joseph Wilson, who had criticised the administration in the run-up to the Iraq war. Mr Wilson accused the Bush administration of distorting intelligence to exaggerate the threat from Saddam Hussein's regime. Ms Plame's name was exposed by conservative columnist Robert Novak. Mr Libby was not charged with leaking the identity of an undercover agent - which is a crime in the US - but on charges that he lied to FBI agents and a grand jury about when he learned Ms Plame's identity. He insists he is innocent. <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4451350.stm">news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world...451350.stm</a> Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=emad@rigorousintuition>emad</A> at: 11/19/05 8:44 am

by **dbeach** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 3:53 pm

EMAD My joy for these 2 guys is diminished. I have a email dialogue with Karl B. Schwarz who wrote"One way ticket to Crawford' which is a well documented factual tour of the past 4 yrs..He lays the blame for 9/11 on the Caspian sea oil estimated at 10 trillion.. and the many wall st schemes before and after 9/11. His refernces are pretty daming for bush/cheny/poppy o bush. Afghansitan invasion was planned as you may know before 9/11 Taliban out! Bush pals in! Mr. Schwarz whom I have never met in person provided evidence of his research to Sptizer in DEC 2004. Spitzer has done nothing and the rumors are he is gonna run for governor.. Karl thinks Spitzer has been compromised. I think Schwarz is real..his book is long and detailed. He is also aware of the NWO and their elite agendas. He is running for President in 2008 PLUS he NEVER went to Yale [lil joke} YALE ZOO runs the USA since 1980 Every Pres or VP is a YALIE NO COINCIDENCES!

by **emad** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 1:53 pm

very nasty stuff about Al Gore is sorted out. SORRY any Dems. No disrespect. But there's an old old link between Gore, Gore Senior and Armand Hammer, and moneylaundering (Riggs Bank again!) connected to Prince Charles's International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) in DC and NYC, which Gore as VP bent over backwards to protect, at Poodle's request. Spitzer ain't gonna do anything about this until the first dominos tumble in the UK. The ball has been set rolling here about this with asshole Charles serving libel/copyright lawsuit papers on Associated Press - owners of Daily Mail, which published extracts from his 1997 journal quoting him saying the Chinese were 'like ancient waxworks'. IE he's fallen straight for the old lawsuit trick. The Daily Mail has been passed embarassing stuff about Charles's Armand Hammer connections, Gore's smoothing over of security/intelligfence matters about this between 1994 and 1997-8. Mainly highly questionable payment sources and 'charitable donations' into IBLF's NYC offices for 'sponsorship' purposes which bought lunches, dinners, glittering soirees etc at official Royal residences in the UK where Charles acted as host to hundreds of high net worth gullible US nationals. Hope Spitzer has the guts to get to grips with this. And if he does run for high office in the US, good luck to him.

by **Trifecta** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 3:31 pm

Just found this while looking at Aquino stuff and had one of those hummmmm moments...not sure if this hase been covered here before, but the links seem very synchnous and gives me the feeling that factions are at play? <a href="http://www.theantechamber.net/V_K_Durham/ContraAffairsFallOut3.htm">www.theantechamber.net/V_...llOut3.htm</a> I will not disclose my source regarding the following statement, and believe me, I do hope this is not scuttlebutt, to wit: "In what Russian Intelligence Analysts are describing as one of the most successful and sophisticated Intelligence Operations ever conducted, and which has effectively "broken the back" of renegade Israeli Mossad Penetration into the highest regions of the American Government, the United States today under the orders of President Bush have indicted the known head of Mossad Operations in North America, Conrad Black, and as we can read as reported by Bloomberg News Service in their article titled "Conrad Black, Ex-Hollinger Chief, Indicted for Fraud", and which says: <a href="http://www.whatdoesitmean.com/index852.htm">www.whatdoesitmean.com/index852.htm</a> .

by **Trifecta** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 3:35 pm

and a very quick google snip: Who's Who In Super-Secret 'Mega' By Scott Thompson Executive Intelligence Review 4-3-3 The following are brief biographical profiles of some of the leading known members of the "Mega" group; notable, is the pattern of alleged organized crime ties. Charles Bronfman: On Feb. 19, 1999, Charles Bronfman was elected chairman of United Jewish Communities (UJC). This $4 billion cash cow subsumes 189 Jewish Federation contributors and 400 Jewish communities in North America. At a Nov. 9-13 UJC General Assembly in Washington, Bronfman will pass the chairmanship to James A. Tisch, son of Mega member Laurence Tisch. Charles Bronfman had been co-chairman of Seagrams, until its merger with Vivendi. He is today chairman of Koor Industries Ltd., which is a high-tech holding company at the heart of the Israeli military-industrial complex. He is also chairman of Claridge-Israel, Inc., which took over Bank Hapolim, when the Israeli government privatized it. This deal was brokered by Ted Arison, an Israeli who, in the United States, built the Carnival Cruise Lines into a billion-dollar business. Arison got his financing to start Carnival from Meshulim Riklis, one of junk-bond manipulator Michael Milken's major clients, and a close ally of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Leslie Wexner: This co-founder of Mega is closely aligned with some of the top British-American-Commonwealth institutions. However, Wexner's main business is The Limited, Inc.-a holding company for such firms as Intimate Brands, Victoria's Secret, and Bath & Body Works-which he founded in 1963. Wexner is a board member of Conrad Black's Hollinger International, Inc. and of Hollinger International Publishing Inc. Lady Margaret Thatcher is chairman of Hollinger's International Advisory Board, which also includes Henry Kissinger, William F. Buckley, and Richard Perle. Hollinger owns the leading Israeli English-language daily, the Jerusalem Post, which has become a mouthpiece for Sharon and the radical right. <a href="http://www.govsux.com/Who_Is_Mega.htm">www.govsux.com/Who_Is_Mega.htm</a>

by **slimmouse** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 5:28 pm

<blockquote>Quote:<hr>The following are brief biographical profiles of some of the leading known members of the "Mega" group; notable, is the pattern of alleged organized crime ties. Charles Bronfman<hr></blockquote> Aww. I thought he was really good in 'Death Wish" <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/laugh.gif ALT=":lol">

by **Trifecta** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 6:29 am

<a href="http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1091483,00.html">observer.guardian.co.uk/u...83,00.html</a> Pentagon bankers may bail out Black 'Ex-Presidents Club' ready to throw lifeline to embattled Telegraph owner Jamie Doward and Jessica Hodgson Sunday November 23, 2003 The Observer A powerful banking group with close links to the Pentagon, which has also invested money on behalf of the Bin Laden family, is in talks to bail out beleaguered Daily Telegraph owner Conrad Black. The revelation suggests that Britain's bestselling broadsheet - coveted by rival newspaper barons because of its political influence - may not go under the hammer after all, as Lord Black tries to quell a shareholder rebellion in the face of allegations that he and several acolytes pocketed millions of dollars that was not theirs to take. Daily Express owner Richard Desmond and the Daily Mail & General Trust, which owns the Daily Mail, are keen to buy the Telegraph titles, despite the fact that questions over the concentration of media ownership would be raised. The Carlyle Group, known as the Ex-Presidents Club because of the number of former world leaders it employs, is considering taking a stake in Hollinger International, which owns the Telegraph titles, the Jerusalem Post and the Chicago Sun-Times, according to those close to the firm. 'It's unusual for a group of assets to come to the market like this. We would look to sell off the Jerusalem Post and Hollinger's stake in the New York Sun. Conrad [Black] would have to step out of management, but that does not mean he would have to let go of his equity stake,' said a Carlyle source. 'Ideally, we would look to take a 25-40 per cent stake. That would allow us to put people on the board,' the source added. The move would represent a coup for Black, who is desperate not to sell the Telegraph titles, which have given him considerable influence within British politics and earned him a close friendship with Margaret Thatcher. Carlyle, - which employs former Prime Minister John Major as a director, boasts George Bush Snr and his Secretary of State, James Baker, as advisers, and is headed by Frank Carlucci, Ronald Reagan's Defence Secretary - has invested in media firms previously. The group once owned 40 per cent of France's Le Figaro, and more recently acquired part of French conglomerate Vivendi's publishing assets. It also part-owns Qinetiq, the Government's privatised defence research laboratories, and CSX Lines, a logistics firm that specialises in shipping heavy equipment for the military. In the past, Carlyle has owned Vinnell, a company that trained the Saudi army. If Carlyle - which, despite being only 15 years old, manages more than $14 billion in funds on behalf of investors such as George Soros and the Bin Laden family (who are estranged from their son Osama) - does take a stake in Hollinger, questions are bound to be asked over the links between the two firms, both of which have powerful links to the military. Leading foreign policy hawks Richard Perle and Henry Kissinger sit on the Hollinger board. Black himself is a member of the secretive Bilderberg group, an organisation comprising the world's leading businessmen and politicians, which some have accused of being an alternative world government. In a separate move, it has emerged that Wall Street fund manager Tweedy Browne will take legal action against the Hollinger board if it is not satisfied with the company's actions. Shareholders are angry that tens of millions of dollars that Black and fellow directors took in 'non-compete' fees did not go to Hollinger. 'I want to know how this board came to pay out a red cent to these people,' said Tweedy Browne analyst Laura Jeresky. Hollinger is the subject of an inquiry by the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Investigators are keen to understand the company's relationship with Ravelston Corporation, which is privately owned by Black and has been the beneficiary of millions of dollars which shareholders say should be returned to them. Toronto-based Ravelston pays millions of dollars in management fees to Ravelston Management Inc (RMI). There are suggestions that RMI may be based in a tax haven. Hollinger spokesman Paul Healy declined to comment.

All kudos to Fitzie: Conrad Black indicted on $80m fraud

All kudos to Fitzie: Conrad Black indicted on $80m fraud

Re: All kudos to Fitzie: Conrad Black indicted on $80m fraud

Calling a new grand jury sure smells sweet.

Re: Calling a new grand jury sure smells sweet.

Spitzer: hedging his bets. BUT....won't act until some

Conrad Black and the other indictments wheres the link?

Re: Conrad Black and the other indictments wheres the link?

Re: Conrad Black and the other indictments wheres the link?

Conrad Black and Carlyle group

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