CINCINNATI, Ohio – Opening arguments are scheduled to begin Monday in the trial of Larry Householder, the former Republican speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives who investigators say orchestrated a cash-for-legislation scheme that became the largest public corruption scandal in state history.
After seating a jury on Friday, federal prosecutors and defense attorneys for Householder and his alleged co-conspirator Matt Borges will make opening statements beginning at 10 a.m. Both men have pleaded not guilty to breaking the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a 1970 statute originally written to prosecute organized crime.
Prosecutors say Householder, Borges and three other conspirators took $60 million from FirstEnergy that they used to elect Republican House candidates who would vote Householder as speaker in exchange for House Bill 6, a 2019 law that forced ratepayers to subsidize money-losing coal and nuclear plants.
The law was worth an estimated $1.3 billion for FirstEnergy, which admitted via a “deferred prosecution agreement” to a charge of honest services wire fraud and said it bribed Householder. The company must pay a $230 million penalty, forfeit millions in funds tied to the conspiracy and cooperate with the investigation, under the terms of the agreement.
Read more about the case here. Check back with Cleveland.com for live updates on the start of the trial.
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