Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Bush collected crooked campaign cash

Tom Noe, the man at the center of the Ohio GOP "Coingate" scandal, pleaded guilty today to federal charges that he funneled illegal donations to the 2004 Bush/Cheney re-election campaign.

Noe was charged with exceeding federal campaign contribution limits, using others to make the contributions and causing the Bush campaign to submit a false campaign-finance statement.

He said Wednesday that he pleaded guilty to "spare my family and many dear friends" the ordeal of a trial.

Noe, 51, has been free on bond since he was indicted in October and is living in Florida. Prosecutors planned to recommend a sentence of 2 to 2 1/2 years. The maximum sentence would be five years on each of three counts and a combined $950,000 in fines. A sentencing date was not set.

Federal prosecutors have said the case was the largest campaign money-laundering scheme prosecuted under the 2002 campaign finance reform law, which set limits on donations.

Prosecutors said Noe gave $45,400 directly or indirectly to 24 friends and associates, who made the campaign contributions in their own names, allowing him to skirt the $2,000 limit on individual contributions.
An embezzlement charge against Noe remains unresolved. The allegation is connected to a $50 million coin investment he managed for the Ohio workers' compensation fund.

1 comments:

billie said...

good luck getting it back. you'd have to pry it from cheney's cold dead fingers.