Pat Tully

Defenders claimed corrupt energy bill would save money. Prosecutor smashed that claim, too

BY: - March 6, 2023

Jim Trakas was the Republican nominee for Ohio House District 6, but lost the General Election in 2018. As a consultant, he supported House Bill 6 the following year, but couldn’t vote for it. This story has been updated. CINCINNATI — On the stand in federal court, one witness after another testified that he supported […]

Ohio utility regulator front and center in massive bailout scandal

BY: - February 27, 2023

CINCINNATI — Ohio’s utility regulator is at the center of a massive bribery and money laundering scandal that has been the focus of a trial here since late last month. In 2019, its chairman and a very recent senior official played a central role in writing corrupt bailout legislation that would give more than $1 billion […]

Householder co-defendant: Campaign checks were “specifically tied” to $1.3B bailout

BY: - February 13, 2023

CINCINNATI — On Oct. 10, 2018, then-Rep. Larry Householder met with lobbyists representing a subsidiary of FirstEnergy in offices at 65 E. State Street that Householder shared with a 501(c)(4) dark money group. One of the lobbyists, Robert F. Klaffky, slid an envelope containing a check for $400,000 across the table and under Householder’s hand […]

Householder corruption trial: Regulator sent resume to utility he was regulating 

BY: - February 13, 2023

CINCINNATI — At the start of 2019 — as work was beginning on a corrupt $1.3 billion bailout — a senior official with the state’s utility regulator sent his resume to a top lobbyist at one of the utilities he was supposed to be regulating. That might seem improper, but the top person charged in […]