GOP fundraiser is convicted

A federal jury in Toledo concluded that Republican fundraiser and coin dealer Tom Noe swindled the state government in a risky investment scheme that raised doubts about GOP leadership.

Jurors convicted Noe, 52, a former Republican county chairman who helped raise more than $100,000 in 2004 for the Bush-Cheney ticket, of 29 of 40 counts, including theft, corruption and forgery. He faces at least 10 years in prison for stealing from the state workers’ compensation fund and trying to hide his wrongdoing.

Noe’s trial, with its vivid testimony of lined pockets and bogus transactions, made headlines in the three weeks before election day. The details -- starting with the very idea of investing $50 million in rare coins -- provided fodder for Democratic campaign ads.