Taft was found guilty on four misdemeanor charges, fined $4,000 plus $76 in court costs. Judge Froehlich also ordered the Governor to issue an email to Ohio newspapers and state employees apologizing for his behavior:

From the shores of Lake Erie to the banks of the Ohio River, I want them to know that you are sorry for what you have done.

Taft paid the fine and is preparing his statements to the employees and newspapers. He has vowed not to resign concerning this issue (nor the ongoing Coingate scandal) ironically and irrespective of the fact that he has forced many administrative people to resign in the last weeks for the same charge he has just faced.

The Prosecutor of the case stated that the gift included two golf outings worth $100 each paid by Tom Noe.

For those who have not been following the Coingate investigations, Tom Noe is reported as being responsible for investing millions in state funds into rare coin funds which were subsequently lost. Governor Taft has continued to plead ignorance to knowledge that the investments were at risk, until earlier this year, even though he plays golf with the man that made the investments quite frequently.

I always love it when a politician does a slim shady comment like this:

As governor I have made it clear that I expect all state workers to comply and follow both the spirit and the letter of Ohio's ethics laws, and I have demanded no less of myself.

This is why he pleads "No Contest" and refuses to resign after two issues in state now. What an ethical leader.

(Facts from "Taft vows he won't resign", Andrew Welsh-Huggins, The Lima News, August 19, 2005.)