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Home > Blogs > Butler County News and Issues > Archives > 2009 > November > 12 > Entry
Fox to plead not guilty through (high powered) lawyer
Longtime Butler County politician Michael A. Fox appears poised to fight federal corruption charges, according to court records.
And he’s doing so with an attorney who is a heavy hitter in both legal and political circles.
Fox — former state lawmaker, county commissioner and Children Services director — filed a waiver Tuesday, Nov. 10, stating he won’t appear at an arraignment in federal court today.
The waiver says he will enter a plea of not guilty through his attorney, Ralph Kohnen.
Kohnen has called the charges against Fox “over-reaching” and political.
Before joining the massive Cincinnati-based Taft, Stettinius and Hollister law firm, Kohnen was deputy chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Cincinnati, running the office’s criminal side. This followed 11 years as an assistant U.S. attorney, according to the firm’s Web site.
Kohnen is also son of former Hamilton County Republican Party Chairman Ralph Kohnen, and told the Cincinnati Business Courier in 2007 that his long-term plans may include politics.
Co-defendant Robert C. Schuler is still scheduled to appear before Magistrate Judge Timothy Hogan in federal court in Cincinnati today, according to court records.
The U.S. Attorneys Office leveled an eight-count indictment last month against Fox and Schuler, charging them with conspiring to improperly benefit from a $2.75 million fiber optics contract with the county.
Federal authorities say they found that Schuler, a Columbus-area attorney and owner of the fiber optics firm NORMAP, wired Fox $460,000 while his company profited off a contract with the county.
The indictment alleges they profited from the deal and failed to properly report the income. It also accuses Fox of not properly reporting income he was receiving from other companies doing business with the county, and accuses Schuler of lying to a grand jury.
Schuler’s attorney, Kevin Conners of Columbus, has not commented on the charges against his client.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment | Categories: NORMAP
Comments
By Alan
November 12, 2009 10:12 AM | Link to this
The indictment alone is damning. The plea is irrelevant.People who know Fox, know he is gulity regardless of the verdict. Soon Butler County will be rid of a vile and dishonorable man
By O'l Briar
November 13, 2009 10:07 PM | Link to this
Get all old goats out of politics (I’m 74). Term limits would be great. Don’t let these pro- pols get use to living out of your pocketbook.
By voter
November 16, 2009 11:06 AM | Link to this
Poor old uncle Mike - I guess he thought the wheelchair & cane would get him some sympathy points. No dice. I am only surprised he didn’t try to scare up an oxygen tank to make himself look completely feeble. I’ll bet he hopes he can get a trial by the judge instead of a jury.
By Carl Fischer
February 4, 2010 7:22 PM | Link to this
Wow, Alan, you have already convicted the man without a trial. And, taking it further, say he will still be guilty even if found innocent. Orwell would love your logic. Remember what Jesus said, “judge not, lest ye be judged.”