First Energy
Corporations are licensed by the state. FirstEnergy’s rampant public corruption should cost license
“Corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow.” -Abraham Lincoln, 1864 “Order the dissolution of a corporation organized under the laws of this state …… upon a finding that an agent ….. has authorized or engaged in conduct in violation of section 2923.32 of the Revised Code and that, […]
Lead Householder juror explains why trial ‘left sour taste’ in his mouth
The lead juror in the largest corruption trial in Ohio history has been left disillusioned with state government, hoping political leaders will finally learn not to undercut their citizens in exchange for power and money. A friend of juror Jarrod Haines introduced him to OCJ/WEWS. In a two-hour interview, the Greenfield, Ohio man discussed what […]
Ohio AG Dave Yost moves to get state lawsuit over bribery scandal going again now that trial is over
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost on Friday announced his office’s court request to lift a stay on discovery in the state’s civil case in the bailout bribery scandal. The request followed the Thursday federal jury convictions of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and former lobbyist and Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges for felony […]
Deliberations begin in epic corruption trial
CINCINNATI — A jury was sent home Wednesday after about six hours of deliberation in Ohio’s massive public corruption trial. Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and state Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges are accused of racketeering in a scheme to use more than $60 million in money from Akron-based FirstEnergy to make Householder speaker […]
Former Statehouse lawmakers testify in Ohio bailout and bribery racketeering trial
The following article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland. The federal corruption trial against former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder has had […]
‘It would be bad for both of us if the story came out’
This monthly newsletter provides updates on Ohio’s ongoing utility corruption scandal and is a joint project of Eye on Ohio, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Ohio Center for Journalism, and the nonprofit Energy News Network. “It would be bad for both of us if the story came out. But it would be worse for you,” lobbyist Matt Borges told […]
Corrupt Ohio utility bailout sprung out of fertile ground, recordings show
CINCINNATI — When Akron-based FirstEnergy made huge contributions between 2017 and 2019 to get a giant bailout from the Ohio government, the deal was developed in a corrupt ecosystem, secret recordings and other evidence presented in federal court Wednesday showed. Multiple players on Capitol Square had conflicted interests and seemed to be acting out of […]
Co-conspirator testifies against former Ohio Speaker Larry Householder in corruption trial
The following article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland. Former FirstEnergy Solutions lobbyist Juan Cespedes admitted guilt under oath in the multi-million dollar […]
Householder trial: New evidence shows depth of long-suspected scheme
This article is provided by Eye on Ohio, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Ohio Center for Journalism, in partnership with the nonprofit Energy News Network. Please join the free mailing lists for Eye on Ohio or the Energy News Network, as this helps provide more public service reporting. Ohio’s largest corruption case continues in federal court in […]
Why attention to detail matters in the government’s HB 6 corruption trial
This article is provided by Eye on Ohio, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Ohio Center for Journalism, in partnership with the nonprofit Energy News Network. Please join the free mailing lists for Eye on Ohio or the Energy News Network, as this helps provide more public service reporting. Last week, prosecutors used hundreds of exhibits in the […]
COVID-19 delays Householder public corruption trial until Tuesday
The following article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland. The federal trial of former Speaker of the Ohio House Larry Householder has been […]
Rampant ‘good old boys’ corruption is robbing Ohioans blind
The first couple days of the Larry Householder/Matt Borges/FirstEnergy political bribery, billion dollar bailout corruption scandal conjured up stereotypical scenes from a poorly written movie: Fat cat politicians and lobbyists jet-setting on private corporate planes to D.C. to wine and dine at expensive steakhouses with other fat cat corporate executives. I imagine glasses of Scotch […]