The energy giant at the center of a $60 million bribery scheme in Ohio has admitted to using dark money groups to fund the effort, and agreed to pay $230 million and other conditions so prosecutors won’t forge ahead with a criminal case against the company.
FILEThis undated file photo provided by the Ohio Governor's office shows former Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, Sam Randazzo. NOPEC is fighting FirstEnergy and the PUCO in the Ohio Supreme Court over what they allege was an illegal decision made under Randazzo in early 2020. The most significant was House Bill 6, the $1 billion nuclear bailout bill. AdBesides the nuclear bailout, HB6 included a revenue guarantee tailored for FirstEnergy estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars over time. Ohio Legislative Inspector General Tony Bledsoe said Randazzo has never, since 2009, registered to lobby on behalf of either FirstEnergy or Energy Harbor.
Householder surged to power with his election as House speaker in January 2019, and FirstEnergy got its bailout. It painstakingly details how the alleged conspiracy to spend $60 million of the corporation's money unfolded. Householder spent around $500,000 of FirstEnergy money to settle a business lawsuit, pay attorneys, deal with expenses at his Florida home and pay off credit card debt. According to the affidavit, Longstreth wired $1 million to his personal brokerage account as the scheme wound down. Once the House approved the bill, $7.4 million was spent on a pressure campaign to convince the Senate to follow suit.
