Gov. Bob Taft's former top aide on Friday became the first person to be convicted in the state's investment scandal for his failure to report stays at the Florida vacation home of a coin dealer.I suspect we'll be hearing a whole lot of sanctimonius noise from the usual sources about this...
Brian Hicks, Taft's chief of staff before leaving to become a Statehouse lobbyist, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of failing to file the proper ethics report. A Franklin County Municipal judge found him guilty and fined him $1,000.
In a statement released after his court appearance, Hicks said that he still believes he paid fair-market value for 2002 and 2003 stays at the home of coin dealer Tom Noe, but "I regret that there are now concerns that I paid too little."
Hicks paid $500 for five nights in a Florida Keys vacation home in March 2002 and $300 for four nights in 2003, according to the charge. Comparable houses nearby reportedly rent for more than $2,000 a week and the home is valued at $1.3 million, according to Florida property records.
Judge Scott VanDerKarr did not order any jail time; the charge carries a maximum six months jail sentence.
The no contest plea is not an admission of guilt but means the defendant will not fight the charges.
It seems clear to me tht justice was served on this one...let's move on, shall we?
