The 29-month jail sentence Conrad Black's one-time top lieutenant David Radler agreed to serve as part of a deal to testify against his former boss was approved on Monday.
David Radler, Conrad Black's former right-hand man, departs a federal court in Chicago on Monday after his sentencing for mail fraud as part of a deal with prosecutors for testimony against Black.
(Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press)
Judge Amy St. Eve gave the go-ahead to Radler's jail time at a hearing in a Chicago courtroom. Radler was also fined $250,000 US.
"You breached your duty.… You took a lot of money from Hollinger International," St. Eve told Radler during the hearing. The judge said she was surprised when U.S. government lawyers agreed to the 29-month sentence.
Radler said in a statement to the court that he tried to lead "a life that would not bring shame or disappointment or embarrassment to my family.…
"I made mistakes, I hurt myself, my family and others. I am sorry for the suffering to my family and others," he said.
A former president at Hollinger International, Radler agreed to testify against Black and other former company executives about how shareholders were swindled through non-compete payments.
As part of his plea deal, Radler pleaded guilty to one count of fraud. Prosecutors agreed to recommend that Radler be sentenced to 29 months.
St. Eve ordered Radler to surrender to begin serving his sentence on Feb. 25. She said she would recommend a prison in Pennsylvania.
Radler can ask to be transferred to a Canadian jail, and U.S. prosecutors have said they wouldn't oppose such a move. Under more lenient Canadian parole rules, Radler could serve as little as six months if he serves his time in Canada. Under federal U.S. parole rules, he would have to serve at least 85 per cent of his sentence.
In July, Black was convicted by a jury of fraud and obstruction of justice. On Dec. 10, St. Eve sentenced him to 6½ years in federal prison.
Observers of the Black trial said it was Radler's testimony that secured the convictions against Black.
"Mr. Radler, despite some problems with his testimony, still was the only witness who provided a roadmap of what Conrad Black did and more importantly when he did it," Chicago securities lawyer Andrew Stoltmann told CBC News.
"So he was a really, really important witness."
Radler still owns a number of newspapers in Rhode Island.
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