Larry Householder, Republican Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, was arrested Tuesday in connection with a $60 million bribery scheme.
Ohio State House of Representatives
Ohio State Rep. Larry Householder.
Larry Householder is the Republican Speaker of the Ohio State House of Representatives, who was arrested, along with four other local politicos, Tuesday in connection with a $60 million corruption scheme.
Householder was arrested Tuesday morning at his home, Jennifer Thornton, of the U. S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, told NPR.
Householder headed up a corrupt scheme that illegally brought in millions of dollars in order to put him in the Speaker seat, then pass a bailout bill benefiting a specific company, and later protect that bill against a ballot initiative, U. S. Attorney David DeVillers alleged at a news conference Tuesday.
Also hauled in were consultant Jeff Longstreth, former Republican chairman Matt Borges and lobbyists Neil Clark and Juan Cespedes, according to the criminal complaint and affidavit obtained by Heavy.
Here’s what you need to know:
U. S. Attorney update on arrest of Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and four associatesU. S. Attorney David DeVillers will provide an update on the arrest of Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and four associates connected to House Bill 6, the FirstEnergy nuclear bailout bill that was passed by the legislature and signed last year by Gov. Mike DeWine. https://bit.ly/2OJxC4X #ABC6OnYourSide #BreakingNews ___________________________ Follow WSYX ABC 6 on social media: WSYX Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WSYXABC6 WSYX Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/WSYX6 WSYX Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WSYX6 Subscribe to WSYX ABC 6 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/wsyxonyourside For the day’s top stories, visit our website: https://abc6onyourside.com/2020-07-21T19:26:43Z
In an 82-page complaint and affidavit, an FBI special agent lays out an alleged scheme through which Householder and the other defendants took in more than $60 million in bribes from an unnamed energy company in exchange for pushing through a state bailout for two nuclear plants slated for closure after the company declared bankruptcy.
Beginning in 2017 with a flight on the energy company’s private jet, Householder began receiving quarterly payments of $250,000 from the company through a 501(c)(4) non-profit entity Householder created called Generation Now, according to the complaint.
DeVillers said that 501(c)(4)s are required by federal law to exclusively promote social welfare. Generation Now, however, was solely used to bolster Householder’s bid for the Speaker’s seat, which he won in January 2019. In 2018 and 2019, Generation Now spent millions more of Company A’s money to elect representatives who would vote for Householder and for the bailout that the energy company wanted.
