Roger Blackwell survives federal prison, felon tag

Roger Blackwell was running along Reed Road in late May with his ball cap pulled down to shield his eyes from the sun. So he didn’t see the jagged end of a broken branch when it snagged his left ear. He certainly felt the pain and saw the blood. Eight stitches now hold the lobe together.

But it’s safe to say that a bad jogging day for Blackwell in Franklin County sure beats a good day in federal prison.

It’s been more than a year since the marketing guru, bestselling author and high-priced speaker re-emerged in Columbus after serving his sentence for insider trading at a penitentiary in Morgantown, W.Va. But Blackwell still frets about any possibility of returning to a life behind bars.

During interviews at his Upper Arlington home, appraised at $1.9 million, the former Ohio State University professor talked about the support he has received from friends and former students as he deals with the ramifications of his incarceration: the tag of felon that may forever shadow him and the court-ordered conditions of supervised release until April 2014.

Those restrictions stop him from traveling outside the jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, essentially the southern half of the state , without approval. “I can’t go north of Delaware County or outside the state,” he said. He is subject to random drug tests and denied the right to possess a firearm, among other things. If he commits a crime, he could be sent back to prison. “I worry about a speeding ticket,” he said. And he wasn’t joking.

On May 14, he petitioned federal court to terminate the supervision or modify the travel rules. If the former is approved, he will have fully gained back his freedom. No decision has been announced yet.

Blackwell hasn’t been idle. He holds a marketing job for the small Upper Arlington law firm Cooper & Elliott. The author or co-author of 25 books, he is writing another one “on garage entrepreneurs, that’s a guide to helping people get out of poverty,” he said. He teaches a Bible-study group and has taught some college classes as a visiting instructor.

And Blackwell is in demand again as a speaker, as well as being sought out by business owners and executives. He sits on a handful of boards of private businesses. (His conviction prevents him from serving on boards of public companies.) Last winter, after court approval, he said he spoke to about 4,200 academics at the World Marketing Summit in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

He added that he never talks about his legal case during a paid speech because, according to court conditions, he can’t “profit in any way from the production of books, movies or any other media products” related to his conviction or incarceration.

He has no choice about holding a job. It’s mandated by the court during his supervised release. And the position is a steep drop from the peak of a career that made him a millionaire many times over. In one year before his conviction, he earned at least $500,000 in speaking fees alone.

“Before, I was telling people what to do,” Blackwell said. “Now, I’m a doer.”

He works on marketing projects, such as newsletters, websites and surveys, as well as conducts seminars for the law firm’s clients. He also is exploring social media, which he said he learned about in prison from fellow inmates who happened to be experts in online data analysis, legal marketing and search-engine optimization.

Chip Cooper, a partner at Cooper & Elliott, said it’s uncommon for his or any other firm its size to employ a marketer full time — let alone one with an international reputation. “For us, the ability to market him to clients is a huge benefit for us,” Cooper said. “When he leaves, it will be with us clutching at his shoes.”

Blackwell still wants to work, however, even though he’s 71 and said he’s financially comfortable — despite spending at least $12 million on legal fees for his case. “I work because I believe in what I do,” he said. “My hobby is helping businesses grow.”

He also hopes to one day teach again, noting he has received some out-of-town inquiries — but he would never leave Columbus. “I am a better teacher now,” he said. In prison, Blackwell taught GED classes, as well as numerous other courses, to fellow inmates. “I learned to speak more simply,” he said.

As he did throughout his high-profile trial in 2005, he steadfastly proclaims his innocence. “People who know the case know the injustice done to me,” he said. It’s easy to think that resentment would consume Blackwell, considering his very public fall from grace. Aside from the conviction and tarnished reputation, his marriage to his second wife, Tina Stephan, ended in divorce before the trial. And, with immunity, she testified against him. Blackwell remains single, living in the 8,000-square-foot house overlooking the OSU Gray golf course with his son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren, who also stayed in the home during Blackwell’s imprisonment. He said, though, that he holds no bitterness. About Stephan, he abruptly said, “I don’t even think about her. I wish her well.” While never lacking in confidence, Blackwell acknowledged, “I am quieter and more reflective than I used to be,” citing a deepening of his spiritual beliefs. Paraphrasing a biblical passage, he added, “Forgetting the past, I press on to the goal that is ahead.”

That doesn’t mean he has moved on completely. During the interviews — speaking easily on a variety of topics, from tax policies to his eclectic collection of artwork by brand names tastefully displayed throughout his home — Blackwell found himself repeatedly mentioning the case brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

A jury issued guilty verdicts on 19 of 27 counts, finding that he informed his office manager and her husband about the impending purchase in 1999 of Worthington Foods by Kellogg’s. Blackwell, who did not personally profit from any sale of stock, sat on the board of the former.

He served 57 months in prison, two weeks in a halfway house and 51/2 months in home detention. He also paid a $1 million fine.

“My fondest hope is to try the case again,” he said, although he lost his appeal and has no pending legal action.

“He has the strength and courage to go through this and maintain a positive attitude,” said David Kollat, chairman of 22 Inc. and a former Ohio State professor who has known Blackwell since 1965 and written six books with him. “I admire his tenacity and persistence to become a better person.”

In the meantime, Blackwell waits for the court’s decision on ending his supervised release. He didn’t hesitate when asked what he’ll do if his request is granted: travel to Colorado, for starters. (“I love the mountains,” he said.) And he wants to take his three grandchildren to Disney World.

“To have the freedom to go any place is an amazing feeling,” he said.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/06/03/forgetting-the-past-he-presses-ahead.html