Noe indicted in Bush money-laundering case

[swag]

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051027/BREAKINGNEWS/51027023

Noe indicted in Bush money-laundering case

A federal grand jury has indicted Tom Noe, the former Maumee coin dealer suspected of laundering money into President Bush’s reelection campaign, Mr. Noe’s attorney told The Blade today.

Jon Richardson said he was called this afternoon and informed of the indictment. The details of the indictment are being withheld until a press conference at 4:30 p.m.

Mr. Richardson said there were no negotiations between Mr. Noe and prosecutors.

“I was told today,” he said.

Gregory A. White, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, will hold a news conference in Toledo to announce “a major public corruption indictment.”

[YDogg]

1. Drip, drip, drip ...

[wordpix]

34. does their corruption never end? I guess not...

[AllyCat]

69. Hour by hour, more crap keeps coming to the surface

If all they were sitting on was a mountain of crap, eventually, it was going to leak out. What is worrisome is that this is likely the tip of the iceberg.

Welcome to DU, by the way!:hi:

[damntexdem]

49. Another one bites the dust.

In 2006, will Republicans have to have been indicted before they're allowed to run for Congress or work in the White House?

[recycledindi]

52. right

now tie him to diebold and the fact that the GAO has evidence that the the 2004 election was stolen. things not looking too good for the cleptocracy.

[BadgerKid]

59. Ms. Noe and Diebold?

I wonder if the Missus is a part of all this.

//
Ms. Noe was an advocate of Diebold’s optical scan software as chair of the Lucas County Board of Elections. In April 2004, she and another fellow Republican board member voted to approve a $350,000 contract with Diebold to lease machines for the election. The county was forced the lease the equipment after a deadlock and a rebuke from Blackwell.

"It's going to cost us more than we thought it would, but it's going to be a fair election,” Ms. Noe said at the time. “I am confident with the system we will have with Diebold.”

“Every vote is going to get counted, and it is going to be an efficient election,” she added.

The contract was no-bid. After Democrats on the board revealed a cheaper bid from another company, the Lucas County board was forced to open the contract for bidding, over Ms. Noe’s objections.

The contract was eventually awarded to Diebold.
//

From rawstory.com
http://tinyurl.com/8zt74

[AllyCat]

70. Nice find BadgerKid

And welcome to DU!! :hi:

[Kadie]

60. When it rain it pours. n/t

[katty]

64. When it pours it FLOODS

[The Witch]

2. KICK REC!

:woohoo: go justice! go justice!

[displacedtexan]

3. Isn't it sad that this sleaze bucket BushBot is now...

... just a small fish in the indictment pool?

[montanacowboy]

4. YES!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe some truth will be shed on the crooked election in Ohio

[skids]

5. Rec. If only we could get the MSM to at least...

...slide this onto the crawl.

[lyonn]

21. Not with all cameras on the bushes in Fla

This will not be a blip on our screens.

[napi21]

6. OH BOY! Another indictment! That damn list has to be gettting mighty

long on the Pub side!!!!! From a distance, it looks like Noe will spend time wearing orange too.

[AllyCat]

72. Add these indictments to the Repubs busted for child sex, drunk driving

and other crimes (what is that website again?) and we truly have the Party of Convictions.

Nice going gang. So much for your Contract with America. Looks like it was a contract ON America.

[Chiyo-chichi]

7. How many more Noes are out there?

Round 'em ALL up.

[zann725]

94. Since Repug's tend to be "repeat" offenders with no originality in their

crimes...I'm guessing that at least a few other States 'laundered' Workers' Comp money (as Noe did).

While the press focuses more on Noe's laundering of the money for Repug campaigns...the REAL crime that is always over-looked is that the money stolen to be laundered was WORKERS' COMP money. So lots and lots of injured workers had their claims WRONGLY denied, and received NO benefits...because the money to cover their payments was STOLEN by Noe-types. That IS a crime in itself.

[endarkenment]

8. Corruption, incompetence, cronyism.

The trademark of the new Republican Party.
2006 Clean Sweep: Get the Criminals out of Government.

[Chiyo-chichi]

10. The trifecta! nt

[annabanana]

48. Decriminalize Politics!!

Vote Democratic!

so much for THAT stupid talkingpoint
hah

[lse7581011]

9. Dare We Hope

this is the beginning of bigger and better things to come?!

[sabra]

11. What a week for the prez....

[54anickel]

22. I'd really like to see a picture of him today. I'm thinking he's got to

be looking pretty rough these days. Wonder how much prep time will go into tomorrow's FL photo-op?

[Cactus44]

12. Jeeze. I can't keep up with it all.

And it's about freakin' time!!

[swag]

13. Yeah I know. Hey, Republicans: corrupt much?

[glitch]

14. Shock and Awe baby

It's nice to see their modus operandi turned against them. I believe it is: hit them from all sides, all at once, so that they are stunned into immobility.

Right boys?

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

15. Republican convention 2008 - Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas

It'll be the first political convention held inside a federal penitentiary!

[Carla in Ca]

37. LOL...The Cabal Convention!

That would be appropriate indeed. I also predict that Ralph Reed will be next.

[Andrea]

39. That would be so sweet! n/t

[Carla in Ca]

44. He seems to be the obvious one to be next

but there are so many to choose from!

And, welcome to DU!

[Renew Deal]

58. That would make a perfect photoshop.

[roguevalley]

16. may I be among the first to say: "BWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

[Lindsay]

17. Happy happy joy joy!

Noe so deserves this.

As do many, many others.

[UpInArms]

18. I am glad that this investigation into the corruption in OHIO

is finally getting to the point that people cannot ignore it.

:woohoo: :woohoo:

[tiptoe]

43. "Coingate' in Ohio...tied to turnpike toll money laundering in Florida"

'Cha Ching,' from ¢¢¢ to $$$: How the Bush Crime Syndicate funneled foreign cash into the U.S from Wayne Madsen, June 20, 2005 (waynemadsenreport.com)

FLORIDA PANHANDLE, June 21, 2005 (waynemadsenreport.com)—Experienced federal investigators, acting independently, have discovered a covert funding channel used by the 2000 and 2004 Bush-Cheney campaigns and the administrations of Jeb Bush in Florida and Bob Taft in Ohio to illegally funnel foreign and other questionable money into Republican coffers.

Ever since the brutal death of Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) investigator Ray Lemme in July 2003, the focus of investigators in Florida and Georgia has been on the political scandal Lemme was uncovering. After his official investigation of contract fraud, money laundering, illegal immigration, and election fraud was shut down on orders of Jeb Bush, Lemme continued to investigate the use of FDOT to launder cash for the Bush brothers and their allies. Lemme's focus was on the use of the Florida Turnpike system to launder cash for the Jeb and George W. Bush campaigns. It was an investigation that would ultimately lead to Lemme's body being discovered in a motel room bathtub in Valdosta, Georgia. A two-state police cover-up of Lemme's death, threats directed at Florida and Georgia investigators, and a virtual media blackout indicates that the GOP administrations of Jeb Bush and Georgia's Sonny Perdue wanted the Lemme story to go away—and fast.
...
Now comes word that "Coingate" in Ohio is tied to the same criminal elements in the GOP that were responsible for turnpike toll money laundering in Florida. Durden's counterpart in Ohio, Tommy Noe, a Bush "Pioneer" contributor whom Gov. Taft appointed to the Ohio Turnpike Commission, is in the center of a major scandal involving missing state funds invested in rare coins and baseball cards. Shortly after the Toledo Blade began reporting on the Ohio coin scandal, Noe resigned from the turnpike commission.

An additional investigation of missing Ohio state revenue is focused on millions of state dollars invested in a hedge fund. Federal investigators are investigating charges that Noe laundered some of the missing $12 million from the state's coin fund into the Bush 2004 campaign. Mr. Bush has returned a mere $4,000 from Noe's contributions. Ohio and Florida were the scenes of major election fraud in 2004. It now appears that both states laundered hundreds of millions of dollars to engage in massive fraud involving all sectors of state government, from election officials and secretaries of state to state auditors and attorneys general.

Ohio and Florida have the highest turnpike toll rates in the nation coupled with the least oversight. Both states, rife with political corruption fostered by the patrician Republican Taft and Bush families, are now the center of Coingate scandals tied to political chicanery and money laundering.
...

From BRADBLOG: The Clint Curtis / Tom Feeney / Yang Enterprises Voting Rigging Scandal! (Quick Summary)

...THE DEAD INSPECTOR GENERAL...

The original Inspector General assigned to the case, Raymond Lemme, had contacted Curtis in mid-June of 2003, after both <Clint> Curtis and the other whistleblower on the case had been fired without cause – both on the same day. (Eventually, both of them would win their whistleblower cases against FDOT on the matter.) Curtis says in his sworn affidavit that Lemme had advised him in mid-June that he would be very happy about his upcoming report and he should keep his ears open for it because, he told Curtis, "this goes all the way to the top."

Two weeks later, Lemme was found dead in a Valdosta, Georgia motel room.

The police report determined the death was a suicide. However, this BRAD BLOG article examines a number of troubling inconsistencies in the police report including photographs from the crime scene which the Valdosta police report claimed would not exist due to a failed "flash memory card" in the camera. In reality, however, the photographs do exist and are now posted along with the other troubling inconsistencies and anomalies in this part of the story.

The Valdosta police department now admits that they re-opened the Lemme case after "interest from the Internet" in December 2004, but then re-closed it quickly after they received a phone call (confirmed by the Valdosta police, but so-far unexplained) from FDOT.
...

see also: The Clint Curtis / Tom Feeney / Yang Enterprises Vote-Rigging Scandal (Key Articles in the Series)

[sonicx]

19. So many criminals, so little jailspace. nt

[trogdor]

41. So many RW "Christians"

...so few lions.

[Joe Chi Minh]

20. Stop criminalising that nice Mr Noe.

[klook]

24. Yeah, money laundering is just political hardball

Not a serious crime like lying about extramarital sex.

[second edition]

23. Good!!!!! n/t

[ozymandius]

25. WHAT? A CORRUPT REPUBLICAN??? NONSENSE!

:sarcasm:

When it rains, it absolutely pours with these people. It was corrupt election practices that got 'em in. And it's corrupt money that greases the gearbox.

Corrupt. Corrupt. Corrupt.

[Andrea]

26. Noe Indicted by Federal Grand Jury

Tom Noe (Ohio Coin-gate figure)has been indicted for laundering money into Bush's reelection campaign.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9841544/

[Botany]

27. yes

and his wife was on the Lucas County BOE and helped fix
the vote there.

Chickens coming home to roost in large #s.

:party:

Merry Fitzmas!

[lostnfound]

84. OT: a beautiful screenprint there. a question about it--

I assume that David Cobb has no personal connection with Lucas county, right?

And 'wi' means write-in? Was he really a write-in?

[Pacifist Patriot]

28. Yippeee!!!!

So there.

[Metta]

29. This could be the start of something big.

nt.

[Andrea]

32. I hope you are right - and you may well be

This is the nexus of the Ohio scandals and the national scandals. It all fits together in a very sinister way and runs right through the stolen election of '04.

[Metta]

35. Money, honey if you want to get along with me.

That's what it's all about.

[deek]

30. story rated 0 out of 0 readers??? eom

.

[sinkingfeeling]

31. Great to hear!

[Botany]

38. Lucas County OH

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1838269


Go down to post # 4


We are going to show the world what these bastards did!

Stole elections lied us into a war w/ the help of crooks like Noe.

[Matariki]

33. ooh, i like that they used b* 's name in the headline!

sweet!

[Mad_Dem_X]

93. Icing on the cake

Letting people know the connection. I love it! :bounce:

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

36. Holy shit!

Nice!

[fooj]

40. The Rule of Law, baby!!!

:spray: Remember?

Peace.

[Selteri]

42. YEEESSSS! (Kick) Nommed NT

[Selteri]

45. I wonder if he'll start up local attack adds about the DA having it out

for him, Like Delay De-Whiney is doing in Texas to try to sour his jury.

[jsamuel]

46. "suspected of laundering money into Bush’s re-election campaign"

[MaineDem]

47. Culture of corruption strikes again! (nt)

[evolvenow]

50. Does this implicate the Gropenator,K.Blackwell & Petro? Could this expose

stealection 2004?

That would be something. May the truth be revealed, NOW.

Posted on Sat, Sep. 03, 2005 beacon journal

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/state/12554635.htm

Schwarzenegger camp defends Noe contribution return

Associated Press


TOLEDO, Ohio -Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't realize that he could have returned a contribution from Toledo-area coin dealer Tom Noe to anyone other than Noe when he decided he didn't want it, a spokesman for the California governor said.

Schwarzenegger returned $10,000 to Noe, the central figure in an ongoing investigation into the state's $50 million investment in rare coins.

Several other political figures, including President Bush, gave funds that Noe contributed to charity or filtered them to the Bureau of Workers' Compensation.
(snip)
"It's money that clearly wasn't his money to begin with, and Gov. Schwarzenegger knew it," he said.

snip

Noe gave money to three politicians seeking the Republican nomination in Ohio's 2006 gubernatorial race. Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell redirected his contribution to the Pregnancy Decision Health Centers in Columbus. Attorney General Jim Petro donated his to Ohio's Elections Commission. Auditor Betty Montgomery put her money into an escrow account the BWC set up after the funds went missing.

kick for "There's room at the Hague"

[lonestarnot]

51. Is there going to be anyone left who Isn't indicted on their

team?

[AllyCat]

73. The next requirement to be a Bush appointee for anything:

--Must have received one or more indictments.

Add that to:

--appointment must call up a conflict of interest.

[TahitiNut]

53. Picked up by ABC and CBS as well as NBC nationally.

ABC News: Major Republican Donor Indicted in Ohio
CBS News: Major Republican Donor Indicted in Ohio

Both are from the AP news feed.

[newscott]

54. I guess they can now indict Attorney Gen of Ohio Jim Petro

for his actions in trying to build a bogus case against Noe, saying that Noe was only trying to enrich himself.

They should all swing at the end of a rope!

[AgadorSparticus]

55. oh WOW!!!!! and the US Attorney's office look like they are pretty

intent on getting their guy. I wouldn't want to be in Noe's shoes right now. YIKES! They are going down.

:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

[lovuian]

56. Alleluia!!! Thank goodness the Justice Department is

nailing this corruption!!!

[OneForLuck]

57. I 'd be very getting very worried if my last name was Bush...

I think everyone is finally starting to sit up and pay attention!

[eppur_se_muova]

61. Got Corruption?

Remember those "Got Milk" ads? As soon as we get a picture of one of these sleazeballs in handcuffs, or before a judge, one of our resident pixelmeisters could posterize 'im, with a big "Got Corruption?" title.

[DUBYASCREWEDUS]

62. DAMN!

All this good news today - just too bad it wasn't November, 2004!

[katty]

63. Let the Roundup begin!

[goforit]

65. FREEZE ALL THEIR ACCOUNTS!!!! (here and abroad)

[PleadTheFirst]

66. FANTASTIC!

I don't know how I'm going to manage all this good news ... I haven't been this happy in around 5 years. :D

[rocktivity]

67. ANOTHER Fitz-mas Eve present

Miers withdrawn, Bacon-Davis restored (though we may have to thank Wilma and Jeb for that), the Georgia poll-tax ID slapped down, and now this! Cue the Vonage theme!

:headbang:
rocknation

[OKNancy]

68. kick

[Independent_Liberal]

71. Kick!

[rodeodance]

74. [Reuters] Bush campaign fund-raiser indicted

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051027/pl_nm/crime_campaign_dc;_ylt=AjiXkkRd__tgQ4E.KQ8CtoCs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3ODdxdHBhBHNlYwM5NjQ-
Bush campaign fund-raiser indicted


1 hour, 31 minutes ago

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A prominent Republican fund-raiser for
President George W. Bush in Ohio has been charged with illegally funneling money to Bush's re-election campaign, a federal prosecutor said on Thursday.

A federal grand jury in Toledo charged Thomas Noe with making illegal contributions in the names of others to the Bush campaign and with making false statements to the
Federal Election Commission.

The three counts lodged against Noe each carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine.

A separate investigation is examining a money-losing investment in rare coins Noe made for the state of Ohio.

[WhiteTara]

75. Oh Joy Oh Joy

the whole house of cards is just tumbling down on them all.

[rodeodance]

76. tumble tumble. let it fall

[happydreams]

77. Oh boy, Oh boy, Oh boy. I am investing in prison stocks. They

will be overflowing with Repiggies!

[rodeodance]

78. Joy to the World........

[jsamuel]

79. THIS IS NATIONAL NEWS!

[superconnected]

80. It's like the crooks are slowly being picked off

I like it! Condi next! Condi next!

and for Christmas - GW!

[IronLionZion]

81. WOOT INDICTMENT

YEEEHAAAAAA!!!! How do you like them apples you stupid corrupt bastards!? What, did you really think you'd get away with it you ignorant knuckle-dragging thugs?!

Ah, this indictment should hold me over until Fitzmas.

[MellowOne]

82. It's just keeps getting better n/t

[thinkingwoman]

83. AND, another one down, and another

one down, and another one bites the dust.

Yeah, gonna get you too, another one bites the dust.

Dear Repuke criminals: You are ALL going down.

[autorank]

85. This is just the beginning. They've got him for $50K. Watch it climb.

And remember, all scandals in Ohio lead to election fraud 2004. Petro can point fingers all day long, he's part of the group. Blackwell had better hope that he's not the target, but of course, he is!

Drip, drip, drip...Ohio law enforcement finally decides to take the state back from the brink of becoming a banana republic.

[DrLazer]

86. So if tomorrow's Fitzmas...

Does that make today ChanNOEkah?

...sorry....

[bettyellen]

87. kick

and thanks again.
:toast:

[OzarkDem]

88. Kick

[lostnfound]

89. The last sentence is missing: where did it come from?

Gregory A. White, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, will hold a news conference in Toledo to announce “a major public corruption indictment.”

I can't find it in the article or on the site.

Did they change the story?

[swag]

90. Apparently

I just did my usual cut-and-paste job.

[swag]

91. That link doesn't seem to have persisted either.

[swag]

92. Have pm'd you with the complete text of original article

as pasted from another source.

[lostnfound]

97. Thanks! Just to clarify I wasn't doubting it, just extremely interested

in it.

[Algorem]

95. When Sen. Voinovich was Gov. Voinovich he didn't mind crooked Noe

Noe’s rise to power started at Bowling Green State University

http://www.bgnews.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/10/26/4361a0688facc

By THE BG NEWS STAFF

October 26, 2005

...And, almost ten years ago, he was forced to testify in front of the BGSU president for questionable ethics while he was on the Board of Trustees at the University...

He was accused in 1996 of using his position on the BGSU Board of Trustees to influence the athletic director to hire his wife as an athletic fund-raiser. Yet, in 1999 he was reinstated to the Ohio Board of Regents by Governor George Voinovich.

Was his past questioned at all? Did the political machine even consider his questionable ethics?

Even his initial appointment to the BGSU Board was under questionable conditions. Some think he was chosen for his ability to contribute through political fund raising...

[Supersedeas]

96. Another major public corruption link to the Republican movement

[xxqqqzme]

98. isn't the newly 'elected' - schmidt - isn't that her name -

hasn't she been linked 2 this scandal?

[UpInArms]

99. Illegal donations to Bush alleged

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051028/NEWS06/510280517/1012

TOLEDO, Ohio -- A major GOP donor at the center of a scandal in Ohio government was indicted Thursday on a charge of illegally funneling $45,400 to President Bush's re-election bid.

Tom Noe, a coin dealer, was accused in a federal indictment of giving money directly or indirectly to 24 friends and associates, who then made the campaign contributions in their own names. In that way, he skirted the $2,000 limit on individual contributions, prosecutors said.

"It's one of the most blatant and excessive finance schemes we have encountered," said Noel Hillman of the Department of Justice's public integrity section.

Calls to the White House and Noe's lawyers were not immediately returned. Prosecutors said the Bush campaign has cooperated with their investigation.

<snip>

Two people who received more than $20,000 from Noe recruited others who then gave money in their own names, the indictment said.

...more...

(Note to Mods: I feel that this newsstory moves past just Noe and into the Bush/Cheney coffers. Do as you will. Thanks! UIA)

[louis-t]

100. The stink is growing

and there's no way for them to undo it.

[DBoon]

105. "there is an anal cyst on the presidency"

a cancer is not vile and disgusting enough

[JusticeForAll]

101. Does the news get any better than this?

I hope this one gets catapulted this weekend...

[my2sense]

102. News Media

I wonder when the media will report on this....I've only read about this on the boards...

[UpInArms]

104. Welcome to DU jazzy062!

this story is from the Associated Press

Glad to have you here!

:hi:

(edited to correct the source)

[Dr Fate]

103. Can it get any more clear? Bush is a CROOK. n/t

n/t

[Algorem]

106. "Politicians, power brokers testified about indicted coin dealer"-

http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/cleveland/index.ssf?/base/news-20/113051274319331.xml&storylist=cleveland


10/28/2005, 6:41 p.m. ET
By JOHN SEEWER
The Associated Press

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) —...

Many of those who went before the grand jury investigating the campaign contributions attended a Bush fundraiser at a downtown Columbus hotel Oct. 30, 2003, and gave the maximum donation of $2,000. Some were prominent Republicans in northwest Ohio.

Prosecutors did not rule out more charges against the others, but they did indicate Thursday that at least some of those who contributed will not face charges because they cooperated with the investigation. They could have faced misdemeanor charges of violating campaign finance law.

"We went after the biggest player," said Noel Hillman, chief of the U.S. Department of Justice's public integrity section

Noe was the focus because he was the source of the money, Hillman said...


County GOP can't account for $190,000 in donations

http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/cleveland/index.ssf?/base/news-20/113048064169970.xml&storylist=cleveland

10/28/2005, 2:19 a.m. ET
The Associated Press

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — The Lucas County Republican Party can't determine who donated almost $190,000 received from 2003 through early this year, the party's interim chairman said.

Doug Haynam sent a letter Thursday to the county elections board to reveal the discrepancies that occurred while Bernadette Noe, wife of embattled coin dealer Tom Noe, served as chairwoman. He also sent a copy of the letter to the Ohio Ethics Commission.

Tom Noe, a major GOP donor, was charged Thursday with illegally funneling $45,400 in contributions to President Bush's re-election bid.

"The party hasn't complied with the campaign finance reporting requirements," Haynam said. "But we can't file reports without information. We've concluded this is the best we can do with the information we have."...


Dems see culture of corruption; GOP distances itself

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051028/NEWS09/510280405

COLUMBUS - From the Ohio Statehouse to the White House, nearly seven months of controversy swirling around Tom Noe intensified yesterday as Republicans grappled with the indictment of one of their most prominent fund-raisers...

Yesterday the Democratic National Committee again called on President Bush to return the "tainted money" raised by Mr. Noe, but the President has resisted, instead giving back $4,000 that the coin dealer and his wife contributed directly.

"Tom Noe is a prime example of the culture of corruption that President Bush and his special-interest cronies have fostered in Washington and state capitals across the country," DNC spokesman Karen Finney said in a statement....


• Origins of $190,000 puzzle local party | 10/28/2005
• Noe indicted: GOP backer accused of laundering cash | 10/28/2005
• Dems see culture of corruption; GOP distances itself | 10/28/2005
• Noe indicted: GOP backer accused of laundering cash | 10/28/2005
• Origins of $190,000 puzzle local party | 10/28/2005
• BWC critic backs panel to control investments | 10/26/2005
• BWC critic backs panel to control investments | 10/26/2005
• Taft may return $10,000 Noe inauguration gift | 10/22/2005
• Taft may return $10,000 Noe inauguration gift | 10/22/2005
• Petro won't sue Lucas County GOP | 10/21/2005
• Petro won't sue Lucas County GOP | 10/21/2005
• Groups back direction of Bureau of Workers' Compensation | 10/20/2005
• Coin-fund worker raised auditor’s suspicions | 10/20/2005
• Groups back direction of Bureau of Workers' Compensation | 10/20/2005
• Coin-fund worker raised auditor’s suspicions | 10/20/2005
More related articles »


Noe's wife helped set probe in motion

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/113049259353500.xml&coll=2

Friday, October 28, 2005
T.C. Brown
Plain Dealer Bureau

Columbus - Tom Noe became the focus of a national political fund-raising scandal after a curious chain of events unwittingly set off by his own wife.

In January 2004, Noe's wife, Bernadette, chairwoman of the Lucas County Republican Party and a member of the county Board of Elections, and her colleague on the board Sam Thurber, took a story to the Lucas County prosecutor's office. They reported that elections board Executive Director Joe Kidd might be taking kickbacks from voting machine manufacturer Diebold, according to officials familiar with the investigation.

Bernadette Noe got the information from Kidd's wife, Tracy, a partner in Mrs. Noe's Toledo law firm. The Kidds were experiencing marital difficulties at the time.

Kidd denied the allegations, but he dropped some bombshells of his own when authorities interviewed him in March 2004. Kidd told investigators he had information that would "put the Noes in handcuffs," said Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates...


Noe driven to be national GOP power player

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/113049247853500.xml&coll=2

Friday, October 28, 2005
John Caniglia
Plain Dealer Reporter
Toledo -

Tom Noe bankrolled his obsession to become a major donor to President Bush by using his longtime friends, authorities say.

Noe recruited allies who wanted to be part of a major fund-raiser for the president, paying them to contribute to Bush, according to interviews and an federal indictment filed Thursday.

"This is an embarrassment to the city of Toledo and the state of Ohio," said State Rep. Peter Ujvagi, a Toledo Democrat. "This shows the arrogance of power."

The indictment and interviews with lawyers familiar with the case show the scheme unfolded like this:...


Bush contributors that testified before federal grand jury

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/113049194253500.xml&coll=2

Federal prosecutors say coin dealer Tom Noe reimbursed 24 friends and associates for contributions to President Bush's campaign in an illegal scheme to avoid the $2,000 donation limit and disguise $45,400 in contributions. In many cases, the friends were paid up front to donate to an Oct. 30, 2003, fund-raiser in Columbus.

Those who contributed to the campaign and testified before the federal grand jury include:

H. Douglas Talbott: The former top aide to two Ohio governors gave $2,000. Talbott, granted immunity to testify before the grand jury, helped spell out the scheme. The Ohio inspector general's office also is investigating a $39,000 interest-free loan Talbott got from Noe in 2002.

Joseph Kidd: The former director of the Lucas County Board of Elections was the first to answer questions on the fund-raiser in 2004 when an investigator for the county prosecutor's office met with him. Kidd gave $2,000....


Noe surrenders in Orlando

http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/cleveland/index.ssf?/base/news-20/1130532246192470.xml&storylist=cleveland

10/28/2005, 4:37 p.m. ET
The Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Toledo-area coin dealer Tom Noe (NOH'-ee) appeared at a bond hearing today in U.S. District Court in Orlando (Florida) wearing shackles and handcuffs.

Noe posted a one (m) million dollar bond that was secured with his wife's property in Florida, and he then left the courthouse with his attorney.

Noe is to be arraigned Monday in Toledo.

The prominent Republican fund-raiser was charged yesterday with illegally funneling more than $45,000 to President Bush's re-election campaign.


http://www.cleveland.com/millions /

INVENTORY
The following are documents detailing evidence taken when Tom Noe's Toledo collectibles shop was raided.
• Page 1 | Page 2...

• Page 13

[TexasLawyer]

107. a kick

and a smile

[Algorem]

108. at least he had to do frog march-"Noe ordered to Ohio for arraignment "-

"appeared in court in handcuffs and shackles, the Associated Press reported."

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1130578646165080.xml&coll=2

He faces charges from fund-raising
Saturday, October 29, 2005

A Florida judge Friday ordered coin dealer Tom Noe to return to Ohio and face charges of making illegal campaign contributions to President Bush's re-election campaign.

Noe, formerly of Maumee, surrendered to the FBI in Orlando at 8:30 a.m. Friday, a day after he was accused of conspiracy and violating federal election laws. Noe, who has grown a beard, appeared in court in handcuffs and shackles, the Associated Press reported.

Later in the day, he posted a $1 million property bond, based on a Key Largo home owned by his wife, prosecutors said. U.S. Magistrate Judge Carla Spalding said Noe must appear for his arraignment in a federal courtroom in Toledo on Monday.

Noe's attorney for the arraignment, Myles Malman, told reporters: "He looks forward to returning to Ohio and continuing his cooperation and resolving this case. He maintains his innocence and looks forward to his day in court."...

[Algorem]

109. Justices in rare coin suit accused of conflict of interest

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1130578515165080.xml&coll=2

Justices in rare coin suit accused of conflict of interest
Judge criticizes possible election foe
Saturday, October 29, 2005
T.C. Brown
Plain Dealer Bureau

Columbus -- ...

Judge William O'Neill said Justices Terrence O'Donnell and Judith Lanzinger should not participate Nov. 9 in a case that will determine whether Gov. Bob Taft has executive privilege.

The suit was filed by state Sen. Marc Dann, a Youngstown Democrat. Dann seeks sworn statements and documents from Taft and his current and former staff regarding investment losses at the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation, including the risky $50 million investment in rare coins managed by Tom Noe. Taft has resisted, claiming privilege.

O'Neill, of the 11th Ohio District Court of Appeals, said both justices would violate judicial ethics because Taft's former chief of staff, Brian Hicks, is part of the case. Hicks' firm earned nearly $235,000 as a campaign consultant for O'Donnell and Lanzinger last year...

All five did disqualify themselves in May from other lawsuits related to the rare-coin investments, due to Noe's campaign contributions of $23,000...

[UpInArms]

110. related: Noe Surrenders in ORLANDO, FLORIDA!

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/10/29/gop_donor_surrenders_on_laundering_charges/

TOLEDO, Ohio -- A major GOP donor surrendered to authorities yesterday on charges that he tried to skirt campaign finance laws by giving other people thousands of dollars to pass on to President Bush's reelection effort.

<snip>

Noe was charged in a federal indictment Thursday with illegally funneling $45,400 to the president's reelection bid through two dozen friends and associates. Individual contributions are limited by law to $2,000.

Noe also is under investigation over a $50 million investment in rare coins he managed for the Ohio workers' compensation fund. He has acknowledged that as much as $13 million is missing, and Ohio's attorney general has accused him of stealing as much as $6 million. No charges have been filed in that case, but state officials say they plan to do so.

Prosecutors say Noe wrote checks to friends in the eight days leading up to Bush's fund-raiser at a hotel in downtown Columbus on Oct. 30, 2003. His friends then made donations in their own names, the federal indictment said. The fund-raiser was held a year before Ohio gave Bush the White House.

...more...