Today could be Judgment Day for gazillionaire Conrad Black, and the other Hollinger execs accused of siphoning upwards of $60 million out of company bank accounts.

And while the prosecution had a field day dragging Black’s name through the mud, and unearthing testimonials about the $40,000 party the press baron threw for his wife’s birthday (on the corporate card, natch) the $4.6 million apartment renovation (also classified as a “business expense”) the heart of the case actually rests on hundreds of thousands of boring financial documents, which the government says enabled Black and his accomplices to make off with millions of company cash.

And, unfortunately for Black, this jury ain’t the same group that acquitted Michael Jackson, or—for that matter—O.J. Simpson.

Showing that they were wasting no time getting to the heart of the case, the jury’s first request in deliberations was to see a prosecution summary chart illustrating the various newspaper transactions and related non-compete payments.

“I don’t think we should underestimate this jury’s intelligence, their ability to grasp the issues,” said Steven Skurka, a criminal defense lawyer from Toronto who is commentating on the trial for Canadian television.

Meanwhile, Black is said to be furious with his defense attorneys for hand-picking a jury with above-average intelligence quotient, as well as for not delivering a line as catchy as “if it doesn’t fit, you must acquit” in their closing arguments. In response, Black’s counsel responded by saying, “Um, having you seen the size of your corporate card bill?”

Original post by perez and software by Elliott Back