Witnesses say they funneled donations
Effort led to ‘Pioneer’ status for coin dealer By STEVE EDER and JAMES DREW BLADE STAFF WRITERS
COLUMBUS — Tom Noe was so eager to become a Bush “Pioneer” that he used a pair of former top aides to Gov. Bob Taft to launder campaign contributions to the President’s re-election bid, documents released yesterday by prosecutors show.
H. Douglas Talbott told investigators last summer that he and Doug Moormann took part in Mr. Noe’s alleged scheme in October, 2003, to illegally funnel money into the President’s campaign.
As a reward for their fund-raising efforts, Mr. Noe gained the elite fund-raising status and an invitation to a White House Christmas party, and Mr. Talbott had his photo taken with the President, Mr. Talbott said.
Mr. Talbott and Mr. Moormann, also aides to former Gov. George Voinovich, were convicted on ethics violations yesterday for failing to report money they were given from Mr. Noe. Documents released by prosecutors detailing their probe into the former aides — although heavily redacted because of ongoing investigations — provided new details about Mr. Noe’s generosity toward public officials and his eagerness to curry favor with all levels of government.
Damien LaVera, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, said yesterday that Mr. Talbott’s statements to investigators “shows that this scandal lies right at the steps of the White House.” The President has returned $4,000 in contributions made directly from Mr. Noe and his wife, Bernadette, but he has resisted returning more than $100,000 that the coin dealer raised for Mr. Bush’s campaign.
“What I’d like to know is what exactly has to happen, how many people have to be involved, until the Bush White House gives back the money that Tom Noe raised for them,” Mr. LaVera said. “It seems like every week there is more to this story, yet they refuse to acknowledge they took this tainted money from Tom Noe.”
Last week, Mr. Noe was indicted on a 53-count felony indictment for stealing millions of dollars from the rare-coin fund he managed for the state, and in October, he was indicted separately for allegedly laundering $45,400 into President Bush’s re-election campaign. Mr. Noe has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Mr. Talbott told investigators that Mr. Noe asked for help in recruiting guests to an Oct. 30, 2003, fund-raiser in Columbus because he wanted to “achieve Pioneer status” by raising at least $100,000 for President Bush’s re-election.
“So [Mr. Noe] said, you know, ‘Why don’t you do what you can, and then I’ll get credit for whatever you raise,’” said Mr. Talbott, who was also convicted yesterday on a charge he laundered money from Mr. Noe into the campaigns of three Ohio Supreme Court candidates.
Mr. Talbott said he collected about $6,000 from lobbying clients for the Bush fund-raiser. But Mr. Noe wanted Mr. Talbott to raise $20,000 — a table of 10 people each contributing $2,000 — and he was about $14,000 short. Mr. Talbott said Mr. Noe told him: “I’ll write you a check, and you find three others that you write checks to .…’ So that’s how we came to the $14,000.”
Mr. Talbott then wrote two checks: $3,900 and $3,500 to people whose names are blacked out from the investigative report and were members of the “Noe Supper Club” — a group of government insiders Mr. Noe treated to lavish dinners — and a $3,750 check on Nov. 5, 2003, to Mr. Moormann.
“These individuals were aware the money came from Tom,” Mr. Talbott said.
Mr. Talbott kept the remaining $3,150 from Mr. Noe, using it to defray a $4,000 contribution that he and his wife, Susan, made to President Bush’s campaign, the investigative report says.
When told by investigators that the person who received the $3,900 check from Mr. Talbott had said the amount was used so “it would not be conspicuous if anyone was looking,” Mr. Talbott replied: “I just said, ‘Tom said to make them out for different amounts.’”
“I was aware there was a limit and that Tom — I knew that Tom had maxed out or whatever and then he needed to get the money — the amount of money he could to get to Pioneer status,” Mr. Talbott said.
“I know after that, Tom was invited to the White House Christmas party,” Mr. Talbott said.
A White House official yesterday could not confirm whether Mr. Noe had attended a Christmas party but said Mr. Noe “probably was invited at some point.”
“I just don’t have that information. I’m not saying he did; I’m not saying he didn’t,” the official said.
Mr. Noe and his wife, Bernadette, met with President Bush backstage at a campaign stop in Toledo in 2004 and co-sponsored Ohio’s inaugural gala in January, 2005, in Washington.
Mr. Moormann, who declined to comment after his court appearance yesterday, told investigators during a July 26, 2005, interview that Mr. Talbott had referred to Mr. Noe as “The Toledo Don.”
“Tom Noe, I think, was viewed, and the way Doug [Talbott] positioned it, was as kind of a touchstone in northwest Ohio. [He was] a good contact for the administration; a guy that was helpful to the governor; a guy that was respected by the governor,” said Mr. Moormann, the governor’s former assistant for business and industry, according to transcripts of the interview. “And Doug said he’d be a, you know, good guy to meet.”
Contact Steve Eder at: seder@theblade.com or 419-724-6272.
advertisement