The Canadian-born magnate, who spoke to reporters shortly after making an appearance at a book launch in Toronto, referred to the charges as "absolute nonsense."
"There's no truth or substance whatsoever to these charges," he said.
"This has been one massive smear job from A to Z, and it will have a surprise ending," he said.
Conrad Black, Thursday night.
Black vowed there will be "a complete vindication of the defendants, and exposure of their persecutors."
In an 11-count indictment unsealed last Thursday, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago accused Black of swindling Hollinger shareholders out of millions of dollars while he was chairman and chief executive officer of the company.
- FROM NOV. 17, 2005: Conrad Black charged with 8 counts of fraud
He faces up to 40 years in jail if he is convicted on all of the fraud charges against him.
Black's arraignment hearing was put off earlier this week until Nov. 30.
- FROM NOV. 22, 2005: Black arraignment hearing delayed to Nov. 30
His legal battle will pit him against U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who recently made headlines for his indictment of Vice-President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby.
"I don't know him," Black said of Fitzgerald. "I accept that he's a competent prosecutor, but he doesn't know anything about this case. He just swoops in for the press conference and fluffs his lines."
When asked if he will be in Chicago for the arraignment, Black responded: "I'm thinking about it."
Black dismissed a comparison between his situation and the fate of former WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers. Ebbers was sentenced to 25 years in prison last July.
"We'll leave out whether he got a fair verdict or not," Black said of Ebbers.
"There was a colossal bankruptcy, 50,000 people lost their jobs, tens of billions of dollars were lost and there was a $4 billion accounting fraud. Keep a little perspective, guys," Black said.
"This isn't Enron, this isn't WorldCom. This was a magnificent company that the people who have seized it and used it as a platform from which to persecute and defame the people who built it have torn apart and destroyed to the expense of the shareholder."
Black is also reported to be seeking the return of his Canadian citizenship, which he gave up four years ago so he could join Britain's House of Lords.
If Black is convicted and sentenced to jail, he would require Canadian citizenship in order to request a transfer to a Canadian jail from the U.S.
