Ohio Governor John Kasich is weighing another recommendation opposing clemency for a former Toledo-area coin dealer who raised money for Ohio Republicans before being convicted in a state investment scandal that also ensnared former governor Bob Taft.
The Ohio Parole Board earlier this month recommended against clemency for 63-year-old Tom Noe, who began an 18-year prison term in 2008 for stealing from a 50 million dollar rare-coin fund he oversaw for the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation. The parole board told Kasich his sentence was "not disparate" given the seriousness of the offense. Kasich upheld a similar recommendation three years ago. Noe's ex-wife has urged the Republican governor to take an independent look at Noe's new application and decide differently this time.