Ohio's top legislator conspired to route millions of dollars from the state's electric company to his political associates to consolidate control over the state legislature and usher through a $1.5 billion rescue for the energy firm's nuclear power facilities, federal prosecutors alleged.
Larry Householder, the Republican Ohio House Speaker, and four other men with connections to state politics were apprehended Tuesday in a $60 million bribery case that stemmed from a bill passed in 2019 to bail out the state's nuclear power facilities, prosecutors said.
Federal Bureau of Investigation agents raided Householder's farm in Glenford, around 45 miles east of Columbus, deputies of the Perry County Sheriff Department, who helped in the operation Tuesday morning, disclosed.
The 61-year-old Householder, considered as one of the state's three most influential lawmakers, was taken nto custody with four alleged co-conspirators and charged with racketeering conspiracy related to the scheme, authorities said.
During a media briefing Tuesday afternoon, U.S. Attorney David DeVillers said it was likely the largest bribery and money laundering scheme ever perpetrated against the people of the state of Ohio.
Also arrested and charged were Householder's adviser Jeffrey Longstreth, former Ohio Republican Party chairperson Matthew Borges, and prominent lobbyists Neil Clark, and Juan Cespedes, authorities said.
According to state prosecutors, the co-conspirators funneled money provided by FirstEnergy to Generation Now via a network of shadowy money organizations and political consulting agencies in order to conceal that the money was coming from Generation Now.
Shares of FirstEnergy Corp plunged 16 percent after DeVillers disclosed the scheme.
The controversy's potential political backlash for Republicans was clearly seen by the quick denouncements of Householder by politicians and party officials alike.
Practically before the speaker had exited the federal court building, a powerful Republican brass was calling for Householder to resign. They included Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, Attorney General Dave Yost, and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted.
"I'm calling on Speaker Householder to resign immediately. This is a sad day for Ohio," Pilar Melendez and Lachlan Markay of the Daily Beast quoted the governor as saying in their report.
Householder is viewed as one of the three most powerful politicians in the state and a politician whose influence dictates how Ohio spends over $140 billion yearly.
Throughout the day, there was no answer at Householder's office in Columbus. A representative for the Ohio GOP didn't immediately return phone and email messages seeking comment on Tuesday.
