Finally, Tom Noe is going to jail for illegal campaign contributions, and he still faces more charges for his mismanagement of $50 million from the Ohio BWC which he "invested" in rare coins.
Coin dealer gets prison over Bush donations:
TOLEDO, OHIO -- A rare-coin dealer and GOP fundraiser at the center of a scandal that has rocked Ohio's Republican Party was sentenced to more than 2 years in prison Tuesday for illegally funneling about $45,000 to President Bush's re-election campaign.Ohio Republican fund-raiser sentenced to prison:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) - A top Republican fund-raiser who is the leading figure in an Ohio political scandal was sentenced to 2 years and 3 months in prison on Tuesday for funneling money to President George W. Bush's 2004 reelection campaign.Noe gets 27 months in prison; ex-coin dealer says he was pressured by Bush campaign
Coin dealer Tom Noe, who pleaded guilty to three counts of violating campaign finance laws in a scheme that netted $45,400 for the Bush campaign, was also ordered to pay $136,200 in fines by U.S. District Judge David Katz in Toledo.
Katz said Noe, 52, can remain free on bond until a state trial due to begin next month on charges related to his alleged mishandling of a $50 million investment in rare coins on behalf of Ohio's worker's compensation bureau.
The former coin dealer made two statements during the hearing. He twice read excerpts from a written statement he gave to court officials prior to sentencing in which he acknowledged his illegal role. But he blamed it in part on pressure from unnamed campaign officials to become a Bush “Pioneer,” someone who raises more than $100,000 for the campaign.Ex-aide admits 'conduit' role for state candidates
He said he had friends who wanted to attend the fund-raiser “and I wanted to help them attend,” he said yesterday.
‘I knew it was wrong’
“I knew it was wrong to do so. I alone accept responsibility for what I have done,” he said. “I’m going to repeat that. I knew it was wrong to do so. I alone accept responsibility for what I have done.”
It has become increasingly clear that Noe's refusal to follow campaign-finance laws wasn't limited to the Bush-Cheney campaign.Prosecutors: GOP Fundraiser Sought Perks
Earlier this year, Doug Talbott, a former aide to Gov. Bob Taft, was convicted on a criminal charge for funneling Noe money into the campaigns of three Ohio Supreme Court Justices - Chief Justice Thomas Moyer, and Justices Lanzinger and Terrence O'Donnell.
Noe, a rare coin dealer, also is charged in an ill-fated $50 million coin investment that he managed for the state workers' compensation fund. The scandal led to ethics charges against Gov. Bob Taft, who pleaded no contest for failing to report gifts such as golf outings.
This is only one part of the corruption of Republicans in Ohio. We have a big election coming up in Ohio, and we need to put a stop to Republican corruption by voting for Democrats. Here are a few:
No comments:
Post a Comment