Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder is on trial in federal court in Cincinnati over what prosecutors call a massive pay-to-play scheme involving millions of dollars in bribes. (Photo from Ohio House website)
What’s the line between political free speech and corruption?
By Sherry Larson
People’s Defender
Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and Ohio Republican Party chair Matt Borges are on trial over what prosecutors call a massive pay-to-play scheme involving millions of dollars in bribes. The trial has experienced delays as two jurors contracted COVID, and there was another postponement on Friday, February 17, when Householder was reported ill. The trial was expected to take four to six weeks but may go into the middle of March. The Defender has researched news articles, podcasts, and videos to provide the following information. Sources are listed at the end of this article.
Allegedly, Householder used bribe money from First Energy for personal and political gain. Investigators reported that Householder took the money in exchange for getting House Bill 6 (a $1 billion nuclear power plant bailout) passed. House Bill 6 was signed into law in 2019. Borges was a former FirstEnergy lobbyist and is accused of offering a $15,000 bribe to a consultant working for a campaign that opposed the bailout and wanted to put it on the ballot. First Energy and other co-defendants have owned up to their roles in this scheme that increased utility costs for taxpayers.
A little history – Larry Householder was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives and served from 1997 to 2004. He was Speaker of the House from 2001 to 2004. In 2016, he was elected to the statehouse again and worked to secure the House Speaker position for a second time.
Householder needed supporters in the House to regain his seat. A federal charging document accused Householder, an aide, and three lobbyists of racketeering, calling it building “Team Householder”.
First Energy is one of the largest utility companies in the country. However, they needed a way to make their nuclear plants competitive. For an extended time, they pursued subsidies from the state to be competitive. They relied on being greener energy and a job creator. But it appears that First Energy was uncomfortable relying on their story to sustain the subsidies, so they made a deal with Householder. According to the podcast On the Merits, “Larry Householder, a former Speaker of the Ohio House, wanted to get back into power. He struck a deal with First Energy executives on a private jet while they were traveling to see President Trump’s inauguration back in 2017 – that First Energy would provide money to help elect people that would vote for Larry Householder to become House speaker. In exchange, Householder would push a bill that would provide nuclear subsidies for first energies plants.”
According to The Columbus Dispatch, “In the Republican Primary, 14 of the 15 who were running — including Householder himself — won their races. They were: Jim Trakas, 6th District; Tim Barhorst, 19th District; Stu Harris, 21st District; Mike Rasor, 37th District; J. Todd Smith, 43rd District; Jamie Callender, 61st District; Kris Jordan, 67th District; Jena Powell, 80th District; Jon Cross, 83rd District; Tracy Richardson, 86th District; Brian Baldridge, 90th District; Shane Wilkin, 91st District; and Brett Hudson Hillyer, 98th District.
On Monday, February 13, a former lobbyist charged in the House Bill 6 case inquiry testified. According to clevelandnews.com, Juan Cespedes affirmed: “that he directed a client to give ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder a $500,000 campaign contribution in exchange for nuclear bailout legislation the company had previously sought unsuccessfully.” Cespedes and co-defendant lobbyist Jeff Longstretch pleaded guilty to the $60 million racketeering scheme in 2020. Another lobbyist and author of “What Do I Know, I’m Just a Lobbyist”, Neil Clark, died by suicide in March of 2021.
As the trial continues, the Defender will follow the story and provide updates. Is this a case of business as usual or corruption? In the end, First Energy didn’t get what it wanted. Influence in politics can wreak havoc on those dealing in the dark when things are brought to light.
(Sources: News5cleveland.com, On The Merits Podcast, The Columbus Dispatch, Clevelandnews.com)
