Lord Conrad Black—New Charges

As was predicted last week, new federal criminal charges have been brought against Lord Conrad Black and his co-defendants in the Hollinger International fraud case.^[1]

Lord Black has been indicted on new charges of money laundering, racketeering, wire fraud, and obstruction of justice.^[2] According to US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, the “four additional charges relate to the fraud schemes,” and to allegations “that Lord Black removed boxes of documents from his companies’ Toronto offices.”^[3] The removal of boxes was caught on videotape in May.^[4]

John Boultbee has been charged with an additional count of wire fraud.^[5]

Under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organization—or RICO—statutes, it is a crime for a person, through a pattern of racketeering activity, to acquire or maintain any interest in or control of any enterprise which is engaged in interstate or foreign commerce.^[6] Racketeering activity includes mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering.^[7] The punishment for violating the RICO statutes is a fine, imprisonment for up to 20 years, or both.^[8]

Obstruction of justice is covered by 18 U.S.C. § 1519, which makes it a crime for a person to alter, destroy, mutilate, conceal, cover up, falsify, or make a false entry in any record or document with the intent to impede or obstruct, any matter within a Federal investigation, or to do so in contemplation of a Federal investigation. The punishment for doing so is a fine, imprisonment for up to 20 years, or both.

We have previously discussed wire fraud and money laundering under 18 U.S.C. § 1957 here. We have discussed money laundering under 18 U.S.C. § 1956 here.

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[1] Conrad Black Indicted on New Charges in Hollinger Fraud Case, Bloomberg, Dec. 15, 2005.
[2] Id.
[3] Black Facing Racketeering Charge, BBC News, Dec. 15, 2005.
[4] U.S. Charges Conrad Black with Racketeering, Obstruction, CBC News, Dec. 15, 2005.
[5] Id.
[6] 18 U.S.C. § 1962(b).
[7] Id. § 1961(1).
[8] Id. § 1963(a).