Ex-House Speaker Larry Householder is facing 10 new charges stemming from ethics violations and misusing campaign finances, according to a news release from the Ohio Attorney General's Office.
A Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted Householder on the following:
- One count of theft in office (F1)
- Two counts of aggravated theft (F2)
- One count of telecommunications fraud (F2)
- One count of money laundering (F3)
- Five counts of tampering with records (F3)
According to the AG's Office, the ex-speaker misused campaign money to pay for his federal defense and did not "accurately complete Join Legislative Ethics Committee filings."
If he's convicted of theft in office, he would be disqualified from holding public office again in Ohio.
Despite his current conviction, Householder is still able to hold a public office when he gets out of prison. Last month, he filed a federal appeal stating that the bribe payment was "within his First Amendment rights."
Currently, Householder is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being sentenced in federal court on bribery charges last March relating to the FirstEnergy scandal.
After he filed the appeal, News 5 spoke with experts about the validity of his argument.
Householder was elected to the Ohio House in 2016 and removed from the position in 2020 when he was indicted in federal court. In June 2021, the House expelled him.
