COLUMBUS, Ohio — The attorney for former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder said that his team is using the convicted felon's power — and his connections to President-elect Donald Trump — to get out of prison.
The jury foreman from the speaker's case is furious, arguing that this is the exact kind of corruption Householder was convicted of.
Fast Facts
Back in 2019, Householder took a $61 million bribe in exchange for legislation to give FirstEnergy a $1 billion bailout, named H.B. 6, all at the expense of the taxpayers.
In March 2023, a jury found that Householder and former GOP leader Matt Borges, beyond a reasonable doubt, participated in the racketeering scheme that left four men guilty and another dead by suicide.
In late June of that year, federal Judge Timothy Black sentenced Householder to 20 years in prison. Borges got five years. The two surviving defendants — Jeff Longstreth and Juan Cespedes — took plea agreements early on, helping the FBI, and are still awaiting their sentencing. The feds are asking for zero to six months for them.
At the end of 2023, former chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Sam Randazzo pleaded not guilty after being charged with a dozen crimes related to bribery and embezzlement after he allegedly received more than $4.3 million from FirstEnergy. The utility company has already admitted it bribed everyone.
Then 2024 hit.
Former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones, former FirstEnergy Senior Vice President Michael Dowling and Randazzo were all hit with state bribery charges. Each pleaded not guilty during their joint arraignment in Akron in mid-February. They are accused of masterminding the corruption scheme.
Randazzo committed suicide in April. He is the second man, out of eight, to take his own life due to being connected to the scandal. Neil Clark, a lobbyist accused of bribery, died after pleading not guilty in 2021.
In the summer, I uncovered text messages showing that Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted have close ties to the FirstEnergy executives, and Husted helped lead the charge to get H.B. 6 to pass.
This bribery scandal has been covered extensively by News 5's Morgan Trau, who followed the legislation all the way through the Statehouse, the arrests, trial, conviction and sentencing of Householder and former GOP leader Matt Borges. She continues to follow it as the next group is indicted federally and by the state.
RELATED: New texts allegedly show Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted leading FirstEnergy's push for House Bill 6
Householder is still working his way through the appeals process. He and his attorneys have defended his innocence the entire time.
New beginnings
A new administration means new beginnings, but not just for Trump.
Larry Householder is looking for an escape — literally.
"It's a humiliating experience," Householder's campaign attorney Scott Pullins said.
In 2023, the former speaker was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for racketeering.
"It's not [an] experience I recommend for anyone," he added. "At the same time, he's gotten some exercise. He's lost a lot of weight."
Pullins told me that after sitting, or rather working out, in a cell for a year and a half, Householder is about to call in a favor.
"Larry has a long history with Donald Trump," Pullins said. "I think he'll be particularly receptive to this clemency request."
Pullins is working with Householder to start the request for clemency, first with a reduction in his sentence and then a full pardon — which means no more criminal record.
"The justice system can be turned as a weapon against people for political purposes," the lawyer said.
Householder’s team believes that the FBI was politically motivated in arresting the former speaker.
This argument could appeal to the president, Case Western Reserve University criminal law professor Mike Benza explained.
"One of the things that we know that President-elect Trump is interested in is what he sees as political forces working in the Department of Justice, especially targeting Republicans," Benza said.
Householder knows Trump well and spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention. They kept in touch throughout the years, Pullins said.
FirstEnergy, who has already admitted to bribing Householder, also admitted in subpoenaed records that they paid millions to try to influence Trump when he was president in 2017, according to the Energy and Policy Institute.
Republican Attorney General Dave Yost is not impressed with this pardon attempt. He reminds that this isn’t a get-out-of-jail-free card for Householder.
"He is also indicted on state charges, state criminal charges," Yost said. "A federal pardon will not reach those charges if he's convicted of them."
The ex-speaker has pleaded not guilty to 10 felony charges in Cuyahoga County.
Pullins believes that Yost is also politically motivated and is jealous of Householder for getting to speak at the RNC. The AG has continued to deny any personal baggage in cases he prosecutes and has asserted that Householder just committed crimes.
"We think that if his federal conviction is overturned or is pardoned, it will send a strong message to Dave Yost that these charges are bogus," Pullins said.
Pullins said he doesn't plan on reaching out to other Statehouse executives, like DeWine or Husted because they helped "scapegoat" Householder into being the only one to face consequences from this situation.
DeWine's team had no comment about the start of the clemency request process.
Same stuff, different day?
After our exclusive, in-depth interview in 2023, I've kept in touch with the head juror that convicted Householder in federal court.
"My instant thought was, he didn’t learn his lesson," Jarrod Haines, the foreman, said on Friday. "Householder used his position and his power to better himself, along the way he ruined many individuals' lives. Don’t remember seeing an apology from him to the people of Ohio, instead he’d rather undermine ole Bob and Betty Buckeye to cut his sentence short."
He added that Householder was, once again, using power to get what he wanted.
"I definitely feel like he is using his connections to skip his sentence," he said. "I would feel that the justice system failed if he would be pardoned. I would feel that my time as a juror was wasted, even though I think it was a very valuable experience for me, my life was interrupted for seven weeks."
Haines told us in 2023 that he was left disillusioned with state government, hoping political leaders would finally learn not to undercut their citizens in exchange for power and money.
RELATED: Lead Householder juror explains why trial 'left sour taste' in his mouth
Benza understood this reaction.
"That would be an interpretation for many people that this is just another example of the entire system being bankrupt and corrupt because if you have the political power, you face no repercussions for violating the law," the professor said.
I brought these concerns to Pullins.
"What would you say about the appearance that Householder could be using his connections in order to get out of prison?” I asked the attorney.
"Well, yeah. He is," he responded. "Hopefully he has some friends left that can help."
Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook.
