A closely divided Ohio Supreme Court has rejected an effort by a former Republican fundraiser to overturn his conviction in a state investment scandal.
The court on Wednesday declined to hear an appeal by Tom Noe, whose criminal conviction engulfed Ohio Republicans five years ago.
Just three justices made up the majority in the decision. Two justices dissented and two others recused themselves because of having a past relationship with the defendant.
Lawyers for Noe argued that his case was prejudiced by "unceasing and aggressive" news coverage of the scandal at the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation and the resulting "public clamor."
Noe, a former coin dealer in Toledo, is serving 18 years in prison for stealing from a state investment fund.