Legislators who worked with Fox say it’s unclear how he will be remembered.
“He has done a lot of good for Butler County,” said Commissioner Charles Furmon, who served with Fox on the board. “I don’t know where he made a wrong turn, but it’s unfortunate because he’s a brilliant politician.”
Former Butler County Commissioner Greg Jolivette said Fox often pushed the envelope as a politician.
“There’s probably people sad, and there are people that are very happy it happened to him,” Jolivette said. “I’m sad for Mike. His whole career has been he can make people mad or brilliant with his ideas and his accomplishments.”
Jolivette said he hopes the county can move forward.
“It’s obvious he did some things wrong and he has to pay the consequences,” said Jolivette, adding Furmon had consulted with him before contacting the FBI about the fiber optics scandal that led to Fox’s indictment. “We had to follow it through.”
What’s next
Prosecution of those involved in the fiber optics scandal in Butler County appears to be nearing its conclusion.
With Fox and co-defendant Robert Schuler, a Columbus-area attorney and longtime Fox friend, accepting plea deals, sentencing is all that’s left for those who have either pleaded or admitted guilt in either the NORMAP or Dynus Corp. scandals.
Schuler, who initially pleaded not guilty, also changed his plea Wednesday to guilty to filing a false tax return, according to the deal with the federal government.
Schuler faces 12 to 18 months of house arrest and a $50,000 fine.
Sentencing for Fox and Schuler is yet to be determined. U.S. District Court Judge Sandra Beckwith will review the plea deals and make her final judgment during sentencing.
Fox could have faced up to a 20-year sentence for the conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud charge and a three-year sentence for filing a false tax return — and both could have been served consecutively.
When Fox was asked by Beckwith whether he had been induced to plead guilty, Fox said he was told, “Either you can take the agreement or you can take your luck at trial.”
Fox said given that he could spend 121/2 to 20 years in prison if found guilty of one of the charges, “I would prefer to take the government agreement; I’m glad to take the offer.”
No fine will be imposed, but Fox could have been fined up to $250,000 for each charge. Both he and Schuler have agreed to pay taxes owed with interest. The Internal Revenue Service will determine in 90 days the amount to be paid.
Fox had pleaded not guilty to the allegations that he improperly benefited from a $2.75 million contract with NORMAP, Schuler’s company, to build the county’s fiber optics network. He was also charged with tax evasion and mail fraud. The charges were amended in August when the federal government added the phrase “kickback and bribery scheme” in a superseding indictment.
Schuler, son of a late state legislator, had, according to the U.S. Attorneys office, “conspired to improperly benefit from Butler County contracts involving a (fiber optics) company doing business with the county,” and that they failed to report income from the deals on their federal income tax returns.
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2175 or mpitman@coxohio.com. Follow at
About the Author
