Former media baron Conrad Black began his six and a half year sentence today at Coleman federal correctional complex in Florida, the Guardian reported Monday.

Black, 63, once stood at the helm of Hollinger International, controlling some of the most influential newspapers in the world. He had a fortune estimated at £136 million, and owned more than 200 newspapers at the height of his career, including the Jerusalem Post, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Telegraph titles in Britain.

He is now federal prisoner 18330-424, according to the Guardian.

Black was convicted last July by a Chicago federal jury of one count of obstruction of justice and three counts of mail fraud. He could have been sentenced for up to 35 years, but instead will only serve six and a half years.

Black told Canada's National Post in a recent interview that an appeal will likely be heard this summer.

“A moron who seriously looks at this case will see that it is a crock and I expect that it will ultimately be determined to be so,” he said, according to the Guardian.

Black said he would use his jail time to lose weight and perhaps teach a French class to his fellow inmates as a prison job.