The federal investigation into a bribery scandal involving the passage of the energy bill, House Bill 6, went public in the summer of 2020. That’s when agents raided the home of then Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and five others.
Investigators say the $60 million dollar scheme included bribes from the FirstEnergy company that helped put Householder back in power, pass House Bill 6 and then defend that bill against a recall referendum.
The bill included a wide range of energy policies, including what detractors described as a “nuclear bailout.”
In 2021, FirstEnergy entered a deferred prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice and paid a $230 million penalty.
The lengthy investigation led to Householder being removed as speaker and then eventually being expelled from the Ohio House.
Although he and former Ohio Republican Party chair Matt Borges always maintained their innocence, a federal jury convicted both this past spring.
Householder received a 20-year prison sentence, while Borges received five years.
The criminal case is still ongoing. Earlier this month, the former chair of the Ohio Public Utilities Commission, Sam Randazzo, became the latest to face charges when a grand jury indicted him on bribery and embezzlement.
The entire bribery scandal and investigation has been chronicled in a new limited series podcast from WOSU. The series, “The Power Grab” is hosted by journalist Renee Fox. This week she joined the “Sound of Ideas” to discuss the series which takes listeners inside the bribery scandal, the biggest in Ohio history.
You can listen to “The Power Grab” on your podcast provider of choice.
Guests:
-Renee Fox, Journalist, WOSU