Conrad Black's Appeal Bid Rejected by Chicago Court

(CN) – The 7th Circuit on Friday refused to grant an appeal to press mogul Conrad Black on 2007 fraud and obstruction of justice charges.     Black, a Canadian-born member of Britain’s House of Lords, and three former colleagues were convicted in 2007 of pocketing $6.1 million from Hollinger International’s shareholders through bogus transactions disguised as “management fees.”     Prosecutors said Black and his cronies manipulated the company’s financial reports to cover the scheme.     The Chicago appeals court did not release an opinion with the unsigned order, which was granted by Judges Richard Posner, Michael Kanne and Diane Sykes.     Friday’s order denied the petition for rehearing from former Hollinger executives Peter Atkinson and John Boultree, noting that all the judges on the original panel also voted to deny the petitions.