Two Vintage Coin employees whose 2003 Bush campaign donations are being scrutinized in a grand jury investigation of an alleged campaign money-laundering scheme have also made generous contributions to congressional and state campaigns where owner Tom Noe and his wife, Bernadette, have made the maximum allowable gifts.

In 2004, Ohio's central "Coingate" figure Tom Noe served as campaign manager for Judith Ann Lanzinger's successful run for Supreme Court Justice. After Noe and his wife had given the maximum-allowable $2,500 each, Vintage Coin partner Timothy LaPointe and executive assistant Susan Metzger donated a generous total of $3,750 at a fundraising event.

Lanzinger for Justice Committee:

Tom Noe                01/20/2004    $2,500

Bernadette Noe     01/20/2004    $2,500

Susan Metzger       07/25/2004    $1,750

Timothy LaPointe    07/25/2004   $2,000

Within a week of the Noe couple's nearing their maximum $4,000 contribution to George Voinovich's U.S. Senate campaign, Timothy LaPointe added another $2,000.

Voinovich for Senate Committee:

Timothy LaPointe      09/03/2003    $2,000

Tom Noe                   09/11/2003    $1,000

Tom Noe                   09/11/2003       $800

Bernadette Noe        09/11/2003    $1,000

Bernadette Noe        09/11/2003    $1,000

The same month the Noes made their maximum contributions to Larry Kaczala's failed congressional campaign, Timothy LaPointe contributed an additional $500. County Auditor Kaczala and his wife, Gina, are among the Lucas County donors whose contributions to the Bush campaign are under examination as part of the Noe campaign fraud investigation.

Kaczala for Congress:

Tom Noe                 09/11/2003     $1,000

Bernadette Noe       09/25/2003    $1,000

Timothy LaPointe     06/14/2004       $500

Tom Noe                  06/22/2004    $1,000

Bernadette Noe      06/30/2004     $1,000

Although no contribution limits were exceeded, Timothy LaPointe and Metzger joined with the Noes during Christmas Week 2004 to contribute a total of $2,500 to Citizens for Jim Petro. The four donations were not associated with a fundraising event.

Attorney General Jim Petro has been criticized by Ohio Democrats for his slow response in beginning an investigation of Tom Noe. On May 24, The Toledo Blade reported Ohio State Senator Marc Dann's concerns:

"It's time the attorney general stops stalling with addressing this growing scandal," Mr. Dann said. "Given the evidence of what the public now knows of the scandal, it is Petro's elected duty to take matters into his own hands and get to the bottom of this problem."

Citizens for Jim Petro:

Tom Noe                   12/20/2004    $750

Bernadette Noe        12/20/2004    $750

Susan Metzger         12/20/2004    $500

Timothy LaPointe      12/20/2004    $500

Who Is an Attorney?

An interesting side note: Surprisingly, although neither Tom Noe nor Timothy LaPointe are lawyers, both have been listed as self-employed attorneys on their campaign disclosure records. The record for Timothy LaPointe's $2,000 contribution to Voinovich lists him as an attorney-at-law. Similarly, the disclosure for Tom Noe's $5,000 contribution to Ohio's 17 Star Pac also designates Tom Noe as a self-employed attorney.

ePluribus Media Credits

Susie Dow's extremely fine (and amazingly prompt) research was a huge help in establishing the facts for this story.

Researchers/Contributors: mkt, sawcielackey, kfred, NYBri, Zan, Cho, SusanG, Michael Cote, Sue in KY, DEFuning, Jill Lehnert, avahome, madhat, luaptifer, Timroff, Biblio, wanderindiana, cici414, standingup, ricardo4

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