Friday, June 25, 1999
Voinovich campaign probe ends
Investigator: not enough solid evidence
BY JOHN McCARTHY
The Associated Press
COLUMBUS — The Ohio Elections Commission on Thursday dropped its investigation into money-laundering allegations against U.S. Sen. George Voinovich's 1994 campaign for governor, after an investigator said he couldn't find enough evidence to prove the charges.
The commission also found insufficient evidence to support the allegations involving Mr. Voinovich's brother, Paul; campaign treasurer Vincent Panichi; and Anthony A. Gallagher, a former Cleveland labor official.
George Voinovich had been accused of approving a plan to use a middleman to conceal the source of $60,000 transferred from his 1994 re-election campaign treasury to Paul Voinovich and a Statehouse lobbyist, Michael A. Fabiano.
Attorney Roger Makley of Dayton, who has been investigating the allegations since December, concluded it would be “difficult if not impossible to prove criminal violations beyond a reasonable doubt.” He recommended that the commission not pursue criminal charges with Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien.
Mr. Makley told the commission that too few records existed among the parties involved. He said he could not get information from Mr. Fabiano, who refused to be interviewed, or Nicholas Mamais, the now-deceased fund-raiser who was identified by Mr. Panichi as the middleman.
“Poor Mr. O'Brien would have a tough time making a case,” Mr. Makley told the commission at a hearing. The panel then voted unanimously to drop the charges.
George Voinovich said in a statement that he was “happy that the matter has come to a satisfactory conclusion.” David Young, a lawyer representing the senator, said the commission's decision was “100 percent vindication” for his client.
“There isn't one shred of evidence suggesting wrongdoing on his part,” Mr. Young said.
If found guilty, the senator could have been fined $10,000.
The money was reimbursement for payments they made to Mr. Gallagher for working on Mr. Voinovich's campaign, according to records filed with the commission.
Mr. Voinovich, a Republican from Cleveland, was Ohio's governor from 1991 to 1998. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in November.
Mr. Makley's investigation grew out of a separate Justice Department investigation, which also raised questions about Mr. Voinovich's 1994 campaign for governor.
The U.S. attorney's office turned over evidence from that investigation to state and local investigators, who forwarded it to the elections commission, which is supposed to investigate allegations of wrongdoing in election campaigns.
Mr. Makley said the evidence made available to him by federal authorities contained numerous omissions and redacted testimony.
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