During a news conference on Monday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced that three more people had been charged in the House Bill 6 scandal.
Yost announced that former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones, former FirstEnergy Senior Vice President Michael Dowling and former chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Sam Randazzo have been charged with a "combined 27 counts of felony violations, including engaging in a corrupt activity, all related to their joint enterprise to hijack Ohio’s regulatory structure for the benefit of First Energy Corporation and for themselves."
Jones was indicted on 10 felony counts:
- One count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity
- Two counts of aggravated theft of $1.5 million or more
- One count of bribery
- Two counts of telecommunications fraud
- Four counts of money laundering
Dowling was indicted on 12 felony counts:
- One count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity
- Two counts of aggravated theft of $1.5 million or more
- One count of bribery
- Two counts of telecommunications fraud
- Four counts of money laundering
- Two counts of tampering with records
Randazzo was indicted on 22 felony counts:
- One count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity
- One count of grand theft
- Two counts of aggravated theft
- One count of bribery
- Three counts of telecommunications fraud
- Eight counts of money laundering
- Six counts of tampering with records
“This indictment is about more than one piece of legislation,” Yost said. “It is about the hostile capture of a significant portion of Ohio's state government by deception, betrayal and dishonesty. Shout it from the public square to the boardroom, from Wall Street to Broad and High: Those who perversely seek to turn the government to their own private ends will face the destruction of everything they worked for.”
Additionally, two of Randazzo's companies have been charged in connection with the scandal.
The Sustainability Funding Alliance of Ohio is facing 11 criminal charges:
- One count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity
- Two counts of telecommunications fraud
- Six counts of money laundering
- Two counts of aggravated theft
The IEU-Ohio Administration has been charged with:
- One count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity
- One count of grand theft
- One count of telecommunications fraud
- Two counts of money laundering
"There can be no justice without holding the checkwriters and masterminds accountable," Yost said.
According to Deputy Attorney General for Law Enforcement Carol O'Brien, Randazzo had worked with FirstEnergy from at least 2010 until 2019.
O'Brien said Randazzo used his two "sham" companies as a way to funnel money from FirstEnergy.
Yost said he spoke with the group's attorneys, and they were supposed to turn themselves in to the Summit County Jail Monday at 8:30 a.m. but never showed up.
"This is about a hostile capture of Ohio State government," Yost said.
HB6 was a scandal-ridden bill that forced ratepayers to spend millions funding “dirty” coal plants and resulted in a 20-year prison sentence for former House Speaker Larry Householder for his part in the largest corruption scandal in state history.
A jury found that Householder and former GOP leader Matt Borges, beyond a reasonable doubt, participated in a racketeering scheme that left four men guilty and another dead by suicide.
According to Yost, the new leadership at FirstEnergy has helped with the investigation.
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