Fraudster convicted ...

... yes, I speak of 'Lord' Black of Crossharbour who has today been convicted on three counts of fraud and one of obstructing justice by a jury in Chicago. He was found not guilty of nine other charges of 'racketeering, wire fraud and tax evasion', so comparisons with Scarface are entirely inappropriate even if the locations of their convictions are similar. It is reported that the Conservative Party has 'withdrawn the whip' as a result of his conviction as he sat as a Conservative in the House of Lords. From all I have ever heard about him his downfall couldn't have happened to a nicer person.

Black and his company Hollinger International formerly owned various influential newspapers, notably the Telegraph Group in the UK, the Chicago Sun-Times and The Jerusalem Post. One benefit of his disappearance from the Telegraph is that regular readers (such as me) are no longer confronted with the frequent 'comment' pieces he caused to be published in his erstwhile organ (with apologies to Private Eye).

News reports I have read indicate that his lawyers have announced that an appeal will be lodged against his convictions, in the hope (no doubt) that he will ultimately be spared many years residence in the Federal pen(itentiary). Good luck ...