Oho coin dealer, GOP fundraiser appeals his conviction

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — The man at the center of a state investment scandal is appealing to an Ohio federal court in hopes of winning release from prison, where he’s serving 18 years.

The Blade of Toledo reports the petition filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Toledo claims the trial court should have moved Tom Noe’s case out of the area and made other errors.

Defense lawyer Rick Kerger tells the newspaper media coverage in Toledo created a bias among jurors.

Noe was a rare coin dealer from the Toledo area and a Republican fundraiser. He was convicted in 2006 of stealing from a fund he managed for the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation that included investments in coins.

Assistant Lucas County Prosecutor Kevin Pituch maintains that Noe got a fair trial.