The $4.3 million that Akron-based FirstEnergy paid veteran utility lawyer Sam Randazzo in 2019 is at the center of another criminal trial tied to Ohio's sweeping $60 million bribery scandal.

Ohio’s former top utility regulator has pleaded not guilty in connection with a $60 million bribery scheme.

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.