COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The central figure in an investment scandal that engulfed Ohio Republicans five years ago has asked the Ohio Supreme Court to overturn his conviction.
In a memo filed Wednesday, lawyers for rare coin dealer Tom Noe argue that his case was prejudiced by "unceasing and aggressive" news coverage of the scandal at the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation and the resulting public clamor.
Noe was convicted in 2006 of charges including aggravated theft and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity for his handling of a $50 million rare-coin investment fund for the bureau. He is serving 18 years in state prison.
Noe also served about two years in a federal prison for illegally funneling $45,000 to President George W. Bush's re-election campaign.