Judge Amy St. Eve of the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois denied a motion Monday for a mistrial in the prosecution of Canadian-born former media mogul Conrad Black on fraud charges. John Boultbee, a former associate of Black and his current co-defendant, requested a separate trial from Black in addition to the motion for a mistrial in Black's case. Both pleas were rejected.

Boultbee, the former CFO of Hollinger International, stands accused of illegally diverting more than $80 million from Hollinger and its shareholders during Hollinger's $2.1 billion sale of several hundred Canadian newspapers. Two years ago, Boultbee joined Black, former legal executive Mark Kipnis, and former VP Peter Atkinson in pleading not guilty to fraud charges. A fifth defendant, former Hollinger President David Radler, pleaded guilty to the charges and agreed to testify for the government.