According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), former Ohio Republican state House Speaker Larry Householder reportedly received a 20-year jail term on Thursday for his involvement in a $61 million bribery conspiracy.
Due to his role in shady business operations while collecting bribes to encourage passing a $1 billion bailout for nuclear power plants, Householder was found guilty of “leading a racketeering conspiracy”.
In an effort to hide the identity of donors who funded Householder’s campaign and speakership bid in exchange for legislation, the business channeled bribe funds via his organization, Generation Now.
According to the DOJ, Householder’s aspirations to become Speaker and those of other candidates with similar views benefited from the campaign money he laundered.
Householder started his second term as speaker in 2019, however after being charged with the bribery plot, he was overwhelmingly ousted from office in 2020.
According to the DOJ, in exchange for the bailout, FirstEnergy Corporation, which ran the two nuclear power reactors in Ohio, sent millions of dollars in campaign donations to Householder’s organization, Generation Now.
In 2017, the company started paying Householder regularly in laundered funds, and the statute approving the $1.3 billion bailout was enacted in 2019.
Along with accepting millions from FirstEnergy Corporation, Matt Borges, the former chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, was found guilty of conspiracy for his part in the bribery scheme.
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