Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder faces indictment on 10 felony charges in state court, including one that could indefinitely prevent him from holding any public office. These charges were brought forward in the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court following Householder’s conviction for a racketeering conspiracy, after which a federal judge handed down a 20-year prison sentence.
At 64, Householder, hailing from Glenford, masterminded a pay-to-play scheme powered by Akron’s FirstEnergy. This scheme aimed to secure control over the Ohio House of Representatives, ensure the passage of a $1 billion bailout for two nuclear plants previously under FirstEnergy Solutions, and safeguard the law from being overturned by a public vote.
Newly leveled charges against Householder include the misuse of $750,000 from his campaign funds to cover legal expenses in his federal case. Additionally, state prosecutors have highlighted inaccuracies in Householder’s ethics forms spanning from 2017 to 2021, noting unreported credit card debt, undisclosed gifts from lobbyists, loans, and legal fees from lawsuits linked to a failed coal mine venture.
Deputy Attorney General Carol O’Brien emphasized the gravity of these omissions in a prerecorded statement, pointing out the deliberate efforts by Householder to conceal his financial obligations, personal finances, and business associations. Despite a federal jury finding Householder guilty in the scandal, the former lawmaker from Perry County maintains his innocence and is appealing his federal conviction.
The Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission spearheaded the recent investigation, which also resulted in charges against former FirstEnergy executives Chuck Jones and Michael Dowling, as well as the former Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, Sam Randazzo. All three men have entered pleas of not guilty.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, in a prerecorded statement, expressed the ongoing nature of the investigation, leaving open the possibility of additional charges as further information comes to light.
The charges against Householder include one count of theft in office, a first-degree felony that, upon conviction, would bar him from public office or public employment, as per the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. Other charges comprise two counts of aggravated theft, a second-degree felony; one count of telecommunications fraud, also a second-degree felony; one count of money laundering, a third-degree felony; and five counts of tampering with records, a third-degree felony.
Yost remarked that state crimes carry state penalties, emphasizing that a conviction would effectively end any potential political resurgence for Householder, once dubbed the ‘Comeback Kid.’
Jessie Balmert, reporting for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, brings this story to light, serving the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal, and other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.