Connie Draws Closer to the Greybar Hotel

It was worth a try. Conrad Black has failed in his bid to have his trial judge throw out the jury's convictions. Well, duh!

Black's attorneys argued that the jury misinterpreted evidence, behaved irrationally and were unable to follow the finer details of the case - leading to a "manifest injustice." It was a longshot and ended predictably enough when the judge dismissed the motions. Black now faces sentencing at the end of this month.

So far, Black hasn't filed an appeal. That will probably follow the sentencing, an appeal against both convictions and sentencing. In light of recent cases, such as Enron's Skilling, that will probably not keep Conrad out of jail while he awaits the appeal hearings.

Lord Black's counsel are also trying to get their client out from under the harsher sentencing guidelines introduced since the Enron and WorldCom scandals. They contend Connie should be sentenced under pre-2000 guidelines. Good luck with that too.