Bernadette Noe doesn't believe that her husband, Tom, did anything wrong in his management of Ohio's former $50 million rare-coin funds, from which he was convicted of stealing millions.

In a radio interview, Mrs. Noe said she is confident her husband will win his legal appeal and called the judge's sentencing in his case "devastating."

"I believe, at the end, justice prevails and we will get a fair and just decision," said Mrs. Noe, an attorney who now lives in the Florida Keys and is a former chairman of the Lucas County Republican Party.

"I'm not going to concede he did anything that he shouldn't have done," she said in an interview with Denny Schaffer, a former Toledo-area radio personality, aired on Fox Sports Radio 1230 WCWA.

It was Mrs. Noe's first radio interview since her husband began serving a two-year federal prison sentence for funneling more than $45,400 in illegal campaign contributions to President Bush's re-election campaign.

On Monday, Tom Noe is slated to be released from federal prison in Florida and begin his journey back to his native Ohio to begin serving an 18-year sentence stemming from his 2006 conviction on charges he stole millions of dollars from the $50 million rare-coin funds he managed for the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation.

A Lucas County jury convicted Noe on 29 felony counts.

"The jury certainly felt that he did [something wrong] and the judge in his sentencing of Mr. Noe indicated that the evidence was overwhelming," said John Weglian, chief of the special units division for the county prosecutor's office.

Noe is appealing his conviction on the grounds that the media attention focused on his case caused him to receive an unfair trial.

After The Blade began reporting on Noe's rare-coin venture in April, 2005, a scandal erupted that led to the formation of a state and federal task force investigating corruption in state government.

In addition to Noe, about 20 people have been convicted of crimes stemming from the probe, including former Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, some of his top aides, former state officeholders, and former Lucas County commissioner Maggie Thurber, former Toledo mayor Donna Owens, and current Toledo city councilman Betty Shultz.

Chris Redfern, chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, said Noe's conviction "speaks volumes" about his conduct. But he questions whether Noe, in part, was a "scapegoat."

"I've always been and remain convinced that this isn't about Tom Noe ... not about coins," Mr. Redfern said. "It is about who allowed Tom Noe to get to a place in state government to access this power? Tom Noe didn't just stumble on a pile of rare coins to invest state dollars into."

Mr. Redfern said he hopes that as Noe enters the state phase of his incarceration more will become known about how he secured the investment pact with the Bureau of Workers' Compensation.

Mrs. Noe said she won't consider moving to Ohio - where her husband is scheduled be in state prison until 2026 - until the appeals court rules on his case.

"Not right now," Mrs. Noe said. "I think what I'm going to do is wait for the court of appeals to rule. In just my opinion I think there is a high likelihood of success on appeal. I'm just going to sit tight. I have a great job here. And the kids, they love it."

For now, Tom Noe will have plenty of family in Ohio to support him once he arrives - including his mother, sister, and grandchildren, Mrs. Noe said. He'll begin his time in the state system at the reception center in Orient, Ohio, where he'll be evaluated for four-to-six weeks and then placed in a state prison.

Mrs. Noe said she plans to see her husband on Saturday at Coleman Low, a federal prison in Florida north of Orlando, before he begins his transfer on Monday. She described him as being "upbeat," saying he exercises often and seems "peaceful."

"He's normally the typical Tom, upbeat," Mrs. Noe said. "We are both real sad ... we know it is going to be difficult to see each other."

Mrs. Noe said she hasn't considered separating from her husband, although keeping the marriage together while he is behind bars comes with challenges.

"It is a lot of hard work, a lot of faith in God, the support of family, and great children," Mrs. Noe said. "It is premature to even cross that bridge. We get along great. He has been my best friend for 15 years. I believe in him. "

Asked if she expects President Bush to pardon her husband before he leaves office, Mrs. Noe said she isn't expecting his help.

"Taking it to the President is not something that I've heard of or I'm contemplating doing," Mrs. Noe said.

Tom Noe was a big backer of Mr. Bush, designated by the Bush-Cheney campaign as a Bush Pioneer for raising more than $100,000 for the President's re-election campaign in 2004.

Federal and state investigators later determined that much of that money was illegally funneled to the Bush campaign by Noe.

But even if President Bush wanted to pardon Noe, he wouldn't be allowed to do so because Noe will be in a state prison, which is under the jurisdiction of Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland.

Contact Steve Eder at:

seder@theblade.com

or 419-304-1680.

First Published October 24, 2008, 12:26 p.m.