Former Ohio speaker sentenced to 20 years in prison for racketeering
Jenny Goldsberry
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Former Ohio Speaker Larry Householder was sentenced to 20 years following his conviction of racketeering.
Householder, 64, received $61 million in bribes via a loophole in transparency laws with 501(c)(4) entities. The money came from utility company FirstEnergy in exchange for successful legislation that included a $1.3 billion taxpayer-funded bailout of the company’s two nuclear plants in Ohio. The millions in racketeered money went to Householder’s credit card balances, repairs to his home in Florida, and the settlement of a business lawsuit.
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“While we hope this sentence clearly demonstrates that corruption does not pay, the FBI will continue to investigate and pursue those who abuse their positions and take advantage of the public,” J. William Rivers, FBI Cincinnati special agent in charge, said in a statement.
The sentence was the maximum sought by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. Additionally, FirstEnergy subsequently signed a deferred prosecution settlement, agreeing to pay a $230 million penalty for conspiring to bribe public officials in July 2021.
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Ohio lawmakers voted to remove Householder from his post the same day it was announced a grand jury had indicted him in 2020.
Householder accrued the millions in bribes from 2017 to 2020. He was convicted in March after a six-week trial.