Taft pleading no contest live on my TeeVee!

[BQueen]

I'll update as I see more.

[BQueen]

1. Stipulated guilty finding and no appeal

hard to hear the details to say whether they covered all bases -- but sounded pretty good. Stipulation of factual basis for a guilty finding means that nobody hears the details as part of the plea...

[BQueen]

2. Defense claiming that Taft discovered on his own,....

Puhleeeze Bill, that's a bit rich....

[melissinha]

6. slick

So the information he is trying to hide by not filing is not being publicized because he admitted to the charges?? Is that right???

[BQueen]

9. sounds like it to me

however, I couldn't make out some of what the judge was saying about the required apology; he definitely said he wanted people to know what Taft had done, and may have said it had to be detailed but the sound was crappy. I can't imagine that they haven't already worked out an outline of what it needs to say, and that the judge would have some type of final approval. (I didn't hear the word "probation" and that's the only way the court could hang anything over his head to make him do it, so this has to go down quick)

[BQueen]

3. Says restitution has already been made

that's really nice that he paid Noe et al back -- Noe supposedly needs the money :sarcasm:

[BQueen]

4. Sentence

Judge is lecturing Bob, but prefacing with "not be swayed by public opinion/pressure"

No jail -- max fine ($1,000) on each count total $4,000 plus costs due today. And send an "appropriate and meaningful apology" to all citizens and all workers of State of Ohio within 7 days. (in newspapers maybe, said everyone needed to know what he'd done)

[melissinha]

5. slap on the hand

:wtf:

only $4000 and an email? He probably whipped out his gold plated checkbook and wrote the check right then and there....

Why can't people just pay for themselves when they go out???Is that so difficult?

[BQueen]

7. true that

I read (the Blade, I imagine) that they would often use "coupons" to get the greens fees just below the reporting limit as well...so there were many more than these four incidents, I'm sure.

Anyway, this is just the reporting part, Coingate is still a hot potato for him. The bigger issue is the detail about who was on these outings.

Jail wasn't gonna happen on these in any event, but probation with community service would have been pretty funny...

[melissinha]

8. Exactly

I am not following this that closely... but I think you hit it on the head with:
The bigger issue is the detail about who was on these outings.

So let me get this straight, if he had not plead guilty maybe some of the names would have been revealed??? Are these documents made available to investigators of the Coingate fiasco?

[BQueen]

10. Still not sure

my take on the first issue is above (couldn't hear well enough to tell) and as to the second, I don't think that would keep them away from the Coingate investigators, just the public (since not made public record)

Basically, Taft got to go on live TV and blubber, claiming that he turned himself in (they've been playing him up as an ironic case, since he's "always been a stickler for ethics" -- based on what, exactly? His treatment of Justice Robie-Resnick in 2000?) And they get to play for time on any more damaging Coingate revelations (at least having to do with golf.)

The finding seemed to cover an entire time period, exempting him from any further prosecutions for reporting violations during that time, but I couldn't make out the dates. Probably just part of the package deal, but I hope there's nothing else out there. (it would only be the reporting)