Ex-Ohio Workers’ Comp Exec Sentenced

The former chief financial officer of the Ohio workers’ compensation agency was sentenced Wednesday to more than five years in federal prison for accepting bribes in an investment scandal widely blamed for state Republican losses in last year’s election.

The former chief financial officer of the Ohio workers’ compensation agency was sentenced Wednesday to more than five years in federal prison for accepting bribes in an investment scandal widely blamed for state Republican losses in last year’s election.

Terrence Gasper, 60, pleaded guilty last June to accepting the bribes to dole out millions of dollars in agency investment business. He got less than the maximum 20-year sentence because he testified against others.

Gasper apologized to his children and said in court that he never intended to commit a crime.

"I never solicited or requested anything from anyone. My boneheaded criminal decisions lie in accepting what was offered to me," Gasper said.

He praised the majority of employees at the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation but criticized a small group of political appointees as having an agenda that he said got in the way of the bureau’s mission.

Gasper described an "overwhelming politicization" of the agency.

Under an agreement with prosecutors and defense attorneys, Gasper was fined $60,405, the value of his stays at a Florida condominium and other bribes he received in exchange for providing agency business.

Prosecutors initially wanted Gasper to pay restitution of more than $13 million _ the amount the state lost in investments in rare coins and collectibles handled by coin dealer Tom Noe.

The scandal at the bureau started with Noe, who is serving 18 years in prison for stealing from the $50 million rare-coin investment he managed. Gasper said he received $25,000 from Noe as a bribe in return for state business.

More than $300 million in losses were reported at the bureau, and the investigation reached all the way to former Gov. Bob Taft, who pleaded no contest to failing to report golf outings and other gifts on his disclosure forms. Taft was fined $4,000.

In the wake of the scandal, Democrats won the governor’s mansion, a U.S. Senate seat and three other key statewide offices after 12 years of Republican rule.

Later Wednesday in Columbus, Gasper was sentenced on similar state charges to five years in prison that he will serve at the same time as the federal sentence.

As part of a plea agreement with state prosecutors, Gasper was also ordered to forfeit $1,000 to the worker’s comp bureau.