Monday, November 13, 2006

Jury Finds GOP Hot Shot Tom Noe Guilty

Tom Noe, 52, has been found guilty of theft, money laundering, forgery and corrupt activity. Noe had walked into the courthouse holding hands with his wife, Bernadette.

The jury -- composed of eight women and four men -- reached its verdict Nov. 13. Of those 12 jurors, two are African-American, one is Hispanic and nine are Caucasian. Closing arguments had taken place Nov. 7. At that time, lawyers for Noe, a Republican fundraiser charged with stealing from a $50 million state investment, made one last pitch to jurors in his case.

The jury then deliberated Wednesday, Thursday and Monday, taking Friday off for the Veterans Day holiday.Evidence left no doubt that Noe was a swindler, a prosecutor said at the end of a trial that hurt Republicans in the election Nov. 7. Noe, a one-time prominent GOP fundraiser, began stealing state money the moment the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation gave him an initial $25 million dollars that he was supposed to invest in rare coins, Lucas County Assistant Prosecutor John Weglian said in his closing argument. More

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