Tom Noe's fate to be decided by regular joes.

Send him to Jail! To jail with em'! Join trafficant, and cunningham and Abrahamhoff (and harris?) I fully expect to see a long prison term for this lying self serving scumbag. I love how his defense attourney claims that he had no reason to steal this money, because he was already a millioniare in his twenties. Well how do you think he got there? LOL, by pulling scams like these. rats all of em'!

Ohio Coin Dealer's Trial Handed to Jury
Nov 8th - 9:51am

By JAMES HANNAH Associated Press Writer

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) - The case of a former Republican fundraiser accused of pilfering a $50 million state investment in rare coins was handed over to a jury Wednesday.

om Noe, 52, has pleaded not guilty to charges of theft, money laundering, forgery and corrupt activity. Defense attorneys have portrayed him as a victim of bad bookkeeping.

The jurors must weigh three weeks of testimony from more than 50 witnesses.

The investment scandal centering on Noe, who was once a go-to man for the GOP, was one of the reasons Ohio voters ousted many Republicans in the election Tuesday.

Democrats say Noe was entrusted with the investments because of his political connections. The scandal permeated campaign advertisements and debates for state offices and led to charges against GOP Gov. Bob Taft.

The defense, which rested Monday without calling any witnesses, said there was no evidence he got the coin-fund contract because of connections.

Prosecutor John Weglian said in closing arguments Tuesday that Noe, a prominent coin dealer, wasted no time dipping into $25 million that the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation gave him to invest in rare coins.

"The corrupt activity began the moment he got the money," Weglian said.

The insurance fund for injured workers gave Noe $25 million in 1998, followed by another $25 million in 2001.

Prosecutors said Noe lent the money to friends. Former employees said he borrowed some of the state's money to pay off business loans and boost his coin business when sales were slow.

Defense attorney John Mitchell said Noe had permission from the bureau to invest the money and that the coin fund produced $7.9 million in profits over seven years.

Defense attorney Bill Wilkinson said the bureau was so pleased, it gave Noe the second $25 million to invest.

Weglian said Noe violated the bureau contract by failing to keep accurate records, and $3.3 million was missing from the coin fund between September 2003 and May 2005, when Noe was relieved of his duties as the fund manager.

Wilkinson said Noe had no reason to steal the money, adding that he became a millionaire at age 25.

Prosecutors have not said whether Noe is suspected of using the money to make campaign contributions to Republicans, including President Bush and Gov. Bob Taft.

The investigation into Noe's coin investments led to separate ethics charges against Taft, who pleaded no contest last year to failing to report golf outings and other gifts. About a dozen others, including some of Taft's aides, also were charged.

n a separate case, Noe pleaded guilty earlier this year to federal charges accusing him of funneling $45,000 to Bush's re-election campaign and was sentenced last month to two years and three months in prison. He won't begin that sentence until after the state charges are resolved.

(Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)