Ohio House Speaker Arrested for $60 Million Bribery, Corruption Scheme

Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and four associates were arrested Tuesday for a $60 million bribery and corruption scheme, according to authorities.

Others arrested were Householder adviser Jeffrey Longstreth, former Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matthew Borges, and lobbyists Neil Clark and Juan Cespedes.

Cespedes was also the co-founder of The Oxley Group, which is a Columbus-based consulting firm.

The $60 million bribery case was connected to a taxpayer-funded bailout of Ohio's two nuclear power plants, CBS News report said

U.S. Attorney David DeVillers said during a press conference that the case was "likely the largest bribery scheme ever perpetrated against the state of Ohio."

DeVillers thanked the citizens who aided law enforcement in the case.

"We are grateful to those who felt a moral duty to work together with agents in bringing to light this alleged, significant public corruption," he was quoted in a report.

Householder was one to push for the nuclear plants' financial rescue.

This added a new fee to every electricity bill in the state and aligned over $150 million a year through 2026 to Cleveland and Toledo's plants.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine called for Householder's resignation after the House speaker's arrest.

DeWine said that this was a sad day for Ohio.

Ohio governor said that because of the nature of the charges against Householder it would be impossible for him to lead the Ohio House of Representatives.

Alleged Corruption Case

There were previous attempts to bail out the nuclear power plants that were stalled in the Legislature even before Householder became speaker.

Months after becoming a speaker, Householder presented a new plan to subsidize the nuclear plants and remove renewable energy incentives.

This was approved a year ago despite opposing cries from many business leaders and the manufacturing sector.

Generation Now was also charged as a corporation in the case. The group was involved in putting out efforts to repeal the bailout law on Ohio's ballot.

FBI also said that Group Now received $60 million from an unidentified company for the past three years.

This allowed Householder and the other people charged to work on passing the nuclear plant bailout and deny attempts to overturn it.

Householder and others reportedly used the money to preserve and extend his political power in Ohio.

FirstEnergy Corp.'s former subsidiaries owned the plants. The corporation donated heavily to Householder's campaign and his backer in the Ohio House.

This contributed around $25,000 to Householder's campaign in 2018, according to an analysis by a government watchdog Common Cause Ohio.

Householder used the company's plane and flew to President Donald Trump's inauguration in 2016.

FirstEnergy Corp.'s subsidiary, FirstEnergy Solutions, changed its name to Energy Harbor. It now operates the said nuclear plants as an independent company.

Energy Harbor has spent millions on campaign contributions and trying to persuade federal and state authorities to give its nuclear plants support.

Householder and Four Others in Court

The defendants were not required to enter a plea. The judge ordered Householder not to obtain a passport, restricted his travel to the southern half of Ohio, and prohibited any contact from other defendants.

The judge also ordered Householder to remove any guns from his home.

The next hearing was tentatively scheduled on Aug. 6. If found guilty, Householder could face 20 years of prison time.

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