Instead of 24-30 years in jail, Conrad Black might only be looking at four and a half years, if a secret pre-sentencing report is given any weight.

The document, reports The Times, claims the scope of Black's fraud to be $6.1 million rather than the $32.15 million estimated by the prosecution and that he received less than $3 million in illicit funds. The prosecution has argued that it's a lot broader than that as his crime encompasses a wide-ranging conspiracy.

According to reports, Black's lawyers have made a filing that their client, a convicted fraudster, is actually a spiritual person. The filing includes a letter from a Father Raymond de Souza who claims Black "could be found attending mass at Holy Name cathedral before taking long, combative walks along the Chicago lake front."

Maybe it's all part of Black's claims that he has found God, something I examined here.

Still, if the Almighty doesn't help when he is sentenced on December 10, he has hired the best appeal lawyers as back-up. He has left nothing to chance.