Ohio's Noe, the "Coingate" villain, gets 18 years

By Lee Russ

Monday, November 20, 2006 at 11:15 AM

Tom Noe, the Ohio coin dealer who raised tons of money for Bush (and was convicted of breaking the law in that sphere also), has just been sentenced to 18 years in prison for his actions in Coingate.

The sentence was handed down on his conviction last week of "theft, corrupt activity, money laundering, forgery and tampering with records."  The state's Worker's Compensation Board, under the tight control of state Republicans, handed over some $50 million to Noe to invest, who then apparently used the funds pretty much as a petty cash drawer for his own needs.

Once the scandal came to light, Noe destroyed and/or altered records in the case and, according to some testimony, tried to coerce other principals into lying to protect him.

While awaiting trial, he not surprisingly found God.

A good Bush Republican if ever there was one.  Now in the place God reserved for this kind of good Bush Republican: prison.