U.S., state to combine coin probe

By JAMES DREW and MIKE WILKINSON
BLADE STAFF WRITERS

COLUMBUS — Federal and state prosecutors agreed yesterday to form a task force to oversee the investigation of the state’s $10 million to $12 million loss from its rare-coin investment controlled by Tom Noe and to pursue criminal charges.

“This group’s mission is to try and obtain the maximum degree of justice that they can from the facts they find,” said Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien, who said he wasn’t aware of any precedent in Ohio for the federal-state effort.

“It is a unique cooperative effort for these various agencies to be together,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory White of the Northern District of Ohio.

The task force will examine the “facts of the case” and consult with the various state agencies involved in the rare-coin investment investigation — the state auditor, attorney general, inspector general, and Bureau of Workers’ Compensation fraud unit, Mr. O’Brien said. The creation of the task force was announced after a 90-minute meeting yesterday in Columbus.