Lawmaker Disputes DeWine's Claim That Randazzo's FirstEnergy Ties Were Clear

FirstEnergy says it paid a bribe of more than $4 million dollars to Sam Randazzo before he became chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine says he didn't know about the bribe until late 2020, but insists Randazzo's past work with FirstEnergy was common knowledge.

That's a claim others are disputing.

But Rep. Casey Weinstein (D-Hudson), who sat through Randazzo's committee testimony on the nuclear bailout law that is now at the center of a federal corruption case, House Bill 6, said DeWine's comments "strain credulity." 

"We had some suspicions and some idea that Randazzo had a connection to FirstEnergy. But we simply couldn't pin him down on that," Weinstein said.

When DeWine was pressed with questions regarding his appointment of Sam Randazzo as chair of the PUCO, DeWine said several times that "everyone knew" Randazzo worked for FirstEnergy in the past. 

Watch:  Gov. Mike DeWine responds to questions about Sam Randazzo

In September 2020 House committee meeting, Weinstein asked Randazzo if he had ever "had contracts or done business" with FirstEnergy.

Randazzo replied: "I'm old school on clients, and will not disclose clients I may have had in the past."

Randazzo went on to add that before becoming chair of the PUCO, he never represented as a "lawyer or lobbyist" a utility that's regulated by the commission.  

Watch:  Rep. Casey Weinstein asks Sam Randazzo about ties to FirstEnergy in September 2020

While DeWine said this week that Randazzo's previous work for FirstEnergy was common knowledge, Randazzo did not disclose that information outright in his cover letter to the PUCO nominating council or during testimony on HB 6 in 2019.  

“Everyone knew he worked for FirstEnergy. That was not a question," DeWine said. "He had, everyone also knew he had worked for a lot of different companies. He’d worked both sides of it. He’d worked for the utilities, he’s worked for the consumers.”

DeWine said he thought Randazzo’s working relationship with FirstEnergy was over and that Randazzo was retired. And he says he learned about the payment before  Randazzo resigned after his house was raided by the FBI last fall.

The bailout law created subsidies for two nuclear power plants owned by a former FirstEnergy subsidiary. While that part of the law has since been repealed, other provisions FirstEnergy lobbied for are still in place.

Randazzo is named in FirstEnergy's deferred prosecution agreement in federal court and his home was raided by the FBI last fall. He resigned shortly afterward. Randazzo has not been charged with any crimes. 

Sam Randazzo documents to PUCO nominating council by Andy Chow on Scribd

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