Coin Dealer Releases Documents To Rebut Governor Taft
Coin dealer releases documents to rebut Taft
http://www.onnnews.com/global/story....Type=Printable
(Gold9472: Boy, I sure wish I knew somebody who could look in the local news, and tell me what they're saying...)
8/25/2005
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A lawyer for an embattled coin dealer released documents Wednesday that he said contradict Gov. Bob Taft's claim the dealer was trying to conceal his involvement in a scandal-plagued investment of state money in rare coins.
Tom Noe's dealings with the state's insurance fund for injured workers also were a frequent topic of conversation when Noe wined and dined various state officials at a downtown Columbus steakhouse, his attorney, William Wilkinson, told The Associated Press.
The governor didn't attend what's come to be known as the Noe Supper Club, but he knew members of his administration were there, Wilkinson said.
Taft has said Noe "made a great effort to conceal" his role in managing the state's $50 million investment in rare coins.
The governor made the comment last week on the same day he was convicted of four misdemeanor ethics violations for not reporting that he was treated to numerous golf outings, including two with Noe.
The state's ongoing investment scandal, which led to Taft's conviction, began with revelations about Noe's risky rare-coin investments for the Bureau of Workers' Compensation.
Noe, owner of Vintage Coins and Collectibles in the Toledo suburb of Maumee, has acknowledged that up to $13 million is missing from the rare coins fund, and Attorney General Jim Petro has accused him of stealing as much as $4 million.
Noe asked Taft last weekend to take back his statement. When the governor did not issue a retraction, Noe instructed his attorneys to begin releasing information that would "prove the governor's allegations to be false," Wilkinson said.
Wilkinson also said Noe discussed the coin investments with Taft after the two played golf together in May 2001.
Taft has maintained that he did not know of Noe's investments until reading newspaper reports about them in April of this year, and a spokesman for the governor reiterated that Wednesday.
"The governor wants to say again that Tom Noe did not tell him personally about the coin investment," spokesman Mark Rickel said.
Among the documents Wilkinson released is a public record showing that Noe, a prominent Republican fundraiser, was appointed as a fund manager for the workers' comp bureau in 1998.
In addition, Noe's 2003 public ethics disclosure form _ required because of his former position on the Ohio Turnpike Commission _ shows his affiliation with the coin funds, Wilkinson said.
Noe also bought scores of newspaper ads between 2003 and February of this year, publicizing his company by touting investments on behalf of the state.
"To our way of thinking, the most powerful way to disprove an allegation of concealment of a fact is to demonstrate that it was publicized," Wilkinson said.
One of Noe's newspaper ads boasts of his 30 years of knowledge in the coin industry.
"In fact, Tom is so successful, he was selected to manage two multimillion dollar coin funds on behalf of an Ohio state agency," the ad reads.
Noe received $25 million from the state in 1998, and another $25 million to invest in 2001.
In another investment scandal development, contributors who donate more than $250 to Ohio politicians would be banned from doing business with the workers' comp bureau under a proposal up for a tentative vote Thursday.
"If you want to give money to politicians, you can, but don't expect to get our business," said Bill Burga, president of the Ohio AFL-CIO and a member of the Workers' Compensation Oversight Commission.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
