Disgraced businessman and former Canadian Conrad Black has less than one day of freedom left before he begins serving a 6 1/2-year fraud sentence.
He must report to Coleman Federal Prison, a low-security facility near Orlando, Florida by 2 p.m. ET on Monday to begin his sentence, although he could show up earlier.
When he does that, he will become identified as inmate 18330-424.
CTV's Lisa LaFlamme reported on Sunday that there was no lavish party on Sunday at the Black mansion in West Palm Beach, Florida -- something he acquired while still the head of Hollinger, once the world's third-largest newspaper empire. Instead, it was a quiet time for Black.
His wife, journalist Barbara Amiel, played with a dog that friends say she bought recently to keep her company during Black's incarceration.
The home is about a four-hour drive from the Coleman facility.
In prison, Black will have landscape duties, the first job that inmates get, and will be paid between 12 and 40 cents an hour. At the peak of his career, it is estimated Black made anywhere between $12,000 and $40,000 an hour.
"Money doesn't matter in there," a relative of one of the prison's inmates told CTV News. "It doesn't matter if you're rich or poor; they treat you the same."
The strict regime for Black and the other 2,500 prisoners will include getting out of bed at 6 a.m. each morning, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. work hours and the counting of the inmates up to seven times a day.
Black will have a roommate, and drug dealers will be among the white-collar criminals with whom he will be sharing time.
"It's going to be a test of his strength of character," said Black's former friend and early biographer, Peter C. Newman. "That's probably a good thing because it's never been tested before -- he's always had his way."
The 63-year-old was found guilty last summer on four of 13 charges stemming from his activities at Hollinger International, the arm of his empire that actually operated his vast stable of newspapers. The convictions were for fraud and obstruction of justice.
The trial showed Black and three others had siphoned money from Hollinger International by unlawfully using "non-compete" agreements -- monies paid to avoid having someone start a competing publication after having sold a newspaper in a given market -- to line their own pockets.
Although he tried to stay out of prison pending his appeal, Black was unsuccessful.
Lawyer James Morton told CTV Newsnet on Sunday that Black wasn't able to stay out on bail because the appeal court decided that Black wouldn't be likely to succeed in his appeal of the obstruction charge.
Two other men, Peter Atkinson and Jack Boultbee, were allowed to remain free on bail before their appeals are heard.
"One, because their sentences are shorter ... but probably more important is their appeals are far more likely to succeed than Conrad Black's appeal," Morton said.
The two former Hollinger International executives were convicted on fraud-related charges but not obstruction of justice. Boultbee was sentenced to 27 months and Atkinson to 24 months.
Black's appeal process is ongoing. The trial judge's comments on the remaining fraud counts, he has said, show that the government case is a "grotesque charade."
The appeal process could take anywhere from four months to a year to play out, Morton said.
David Radler, Black's former business partner, preceded Black to prison, having surrendered himself last Monday.
Radler, who co-operated with prosecutors and testified against Black, was sentenced to 29 months.
If the 65-year-old is successful in being transferred to Canada, Radler could be eligible to apply for day parole after serving as few as six months in prison. Radler normally resides in Vancouver.
Black may have to serve 85 per cent of his sentence before being eligible for parole of any type.
Because Black gave up his Canadian citizenship to serve in the British House of Lords, the British subject cannot apply to transfer to a Canadian prison.
Boultbee and Atkinson are both Canadian citizens.
With a report by CTV's Lisa LaFlamme in Coleman, Fla.
