© 2024 Ideastream Public Media

1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115
(216) 916-6100 | (877) 399-3307

WKSU is a public media service licensed to Kent State University and operated by Ideastream Public Media.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Ohio House Speaker Arrested In Case Related To Nuclear Power Plant Bailout Law

House Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford) walks out of the federal courthouse in Columbus, after making an initial appearance by video. He was arrested Tuesday, as were former Ohio GOP Chair Matt Borges, Householder's advisor and two lobbyists.
Andy Chow
House Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford) walks out of the federal courthouse in Columbus, after making an initial appearance by video. He was arrested Tuesday, as were former Ohio GOP Chair Matt Borges, Householder's advisor and two lobbyists.

House Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford) has been arrested in connection to a $60 million public corruption racketeering conspiracy case. Federal agents were at his farm in Perry County Tuesday morning.

(Read the complaint here.)

Sources have confirmed that former Ohio GOP Chairman Matt Borges was also arrested, along with Householder's adviser Jeff Longstreth. Veteran lobbyist Neil Clark was also arrested, according to sources.

It's believed the case is related to the controversial nuclear power plant bailout law that was passed last year. The law was challenged in an expensive campaign that included charges of racism. The effort to repeal it was equally bitter, with allegations of intimidation of signature gatherers.

The law took effect in October after a group that opposed it missed the deadline to collect signatures. In January, that group dropped their courtroom battle to stop the law from taking effect. There was d ark money on both sides, and donors were never revealed.

The law sends $150 million a year to the Davis-Besse and Perry power plants, which were owned by FirstEnergy Solutions. That company, which had been a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corporation when it was first created but was no longer related to FirstEnergy Corporation, emerged from bankruptcy protection earlier this year and is now known as Energy Harbor.

FirstEnergy Solutions had said it would decommission its power plants starting this year if it didn't get some financial relief from the state.

It's not the first time in recent memory an Ohio House Speaker has been under FBI scrutiny. Republican former Speaker Cliff Rosenberger was investigated related to payday loan legislation, and his home and office were raided. He resigned in April 2018, saying a statement his actions have been both ethical and lawful. No charges were filed.

Householder himself has also been under the FBI's microscope in the past. In 2006, there were no charges from an FBI investigation into allegations of bribery and corruption against Householder and some aides. And Householder did have to return thousands of dollars in improper county Republican party donations as he was building support for his run for Speaker in 2018.

Copyright 2020 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau.

Karen is a lifelong Ohioan who has served as news director at WCBE-FM, assignment editor/overnight anchor at WBNS-TV, and afternoon drive anchor/assignment editor in WTAM-AM in Cleveland. In addition to her daily reporting for Ohio’s public radio stations, she’s reported for NPR, the BBC, ABC Radio News and other news outlets. She hosts and produces the Statehouse News Bureau’s weekly TV show “The State of Ohio”, which airs on PBS stations statewide. She’s also a frequent guest on WOSU TV’s “Columbus on the Record”, a regular panelist on “The Sound of Ideas” on ideastream in Cleveland, appeared on the inaugural edition of “Face the State” on WBNS-TV and occasionally reports for “PBS Newshour”. She’s often called to moderate debates, including the Columbus Metropolitan Club’s Issue 3/legal marijuana debate and its pre-primary mayoral debate, and the City Club of Cleveland’s US Senate debate in 2012.
Karen Kasler
Contact Karen at 614/578-6375 or at kkasler@statehousenews.org.