By Dave Greber Staff Writer HAMILTON — Butler County officials and area business leaders said they were “shocked” and “appalled” Thursday, Oct. 29, when they learned of the eight-count federal indictment of Michael Fox. Fox, 60, the former county commissioner, state legislator and executive director of Children Services, is accused of abusing his political authority, defrauding the public out of hundreds of thousands of dollars and financially benefiting from county contracts from 2000 to 2008, according to the indictment unsealed Thursday. The indictment also names attorney Robert Schuler, a friend of Fox’s dating back to their time as undergraduates at Miami University. Fox and Schuler “conspired to improperly benefit from Butler County contracts involving a (fiber optics) company doing business with the county,” and failed to report income from the deals on their federal income tax returns, according to the indictment. The indictment also alleges that Fox financially benefited from county business with local contractors during the time Fox was commissioner: • Universal Transportation Services, of Fairfield — formerly Winton Transport Inc., of Fairfield; • Noah’s Landscaping, of Hamilton; • A-Absolute Water Restoration, of Fairfield (aka, Disaster Services of A-Absolute); • NORMAP Telecommunications, of Toledo, Ohio. UTS owner Tom Burer is alleged to have given Fox $5,000 in December 2004. The indictment says UTS received approximately $5.8 million in contract payments from Butler County between 2001 to 2004. Fox “disguised and concealed” that payment “in various ways,” according to the indictment. “It’s regrettable, and I’m shocked and dismayed,” Burer said Thursday. “Everything we got from the county was bid on. It was not because of any connection to Mike Fox.” Burer said Fox told him the $5,000 was to be used as “seed money” for a county-based health insurance plan for his employees. He said the money was not a contribution to Fox’s campaign. Noah Woolum, owner of Noah’s Landscaping, said he has been doing business with the county for more than four decades, but that none of the contracts were the result of his relationship with Fox. The indictment states Woolum gave Fox $5,300 in three payments from November 2004 to October 2005. “I have never had any inappropriate relationship with Mike Fox,” Woolum said. “I’ve never had one cent’s worth of a contract that had to do with Mike Fox. I’ve never had any county work that I solicited from him.” Woolum said the $5,300 was likely campaign contributions that Fox allegedly failed to report, but “I’ve given to Mike Fox and all the county commissioners’ campaigns. That didn’t have anything to do with my business in Butler County.” Fox is alleged to have used his influence to have the county pay Schuler for various services related to NORMAP and the fiber optics network, then “secretly” receive money back from Schuler, including $360,000 in March 2002 and $100,000 in September 2002. The indictment states neither Schuler nor Fox disclosed the income on financial disclosure statements to the Ohio Ethics Commission or the IRS. Commissioner Charles Furmon lauded the federal government’s efforts in the indictments. “It’s extremely disappointing that there was this kind of behavior,” Furmon said. “It’s appalling that a trusted county official would do something like that. “I had my suspicions from the beginning, but I’ve never been able to put my finger on it,” he added. Commissioner Gregory Jolivette said he assumed the news regarding Fox was “all fiber-related.” “I’m just floored by the things that were going on, and that Mike was doing,” Jolivette said. Gary Keller, owner of A-Absolute Water Restoration, agreed with allegations in the indictment that Fox gave him a head’s up about an impending mold abatement bid with the county. It was a job that paid $18,530. “He did tell me that there was going to be a job at the county courthouse. He told me what I needed to do to get that job,” Keller said. “But that was the only job with the county that was given to me by Mike Fox.” Although the indictment states Fox was loaned more than $40,000 by Keller as a result of that work, Keller disagrees. Keller said he made $13,000 in payments to Fox’s mortgage company, Countrywide Loans, and loaned him another $27,900 through Fox’s company, Fox Development. “I did that out of the kindness of my heart, not because of any contracts with the county,” Keller said. “Why would I loan him $40,000 because of an $18,500 contract?” Keller said Fox — who he described as “a very dear friend at one time” — told him numerous times he intended to pay the money back in full. “I’m never going to get paid back now,” Keller said. “It’s a sad day for me. It’s a sad day for the county. It’s another black eye in the honest political structure we have in Butler County.” Will someone with any common sense please read the above. Now I have some info that is linked to the above. The director George Boettjer was set up by the VSC to be fall guy. George had given the county a plan to save thousands on the cost of transportation and was planning to cancel the contract. Then for no apparent reason he resigned. He did not know the contractor was giving Mike Fox money. Until 2009. George can give details on who contacted him and the people who were involved. He got to close so the commission got rid of him. The next link will shock all the veterans of butler county. You good old boys better hightail it out of town. 5.8 million in transportation cost between 2001 thru 2004 is crazy, the Veterans will be asking questions.
Posted on: Fri, 30 Aug 2013 23:10:51 +0000
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