Ohio House speaker, 4 others arrested in $60M bribery case [View all]

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By JULIE CARR SMYTH and JOHN SEEWER

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The powerful Republican speaker of the Ohio House and four other people were arrested Tuesday in a $60 million federal bribery investigation, and the FBI raided the legislative leader’s rural farm.

Speaker Larry Householder was one of the driving forces behind a roughly $1 billion financial rescue for Ohio’s two nuclear power plants, which appeared to be tied to several targets of the investigation. The legislation added a new fee to every electricity bill in the state and directed over $150 million a year through 2026 to the plants near Cleveland and Toledo.

Prosecutors would not discuss details of the case. U.S. Attorney David DeVillers’ office planned to hold a news conference later in the day.

Also arrested were Householder adviser Jeffrey Longstreth, longtime Statehouse lobbyist Neil Clark, former Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matthew Borges and Juan Cespedes, co-founder of The Oxley Group, a Columbus-based consulting firm.



This Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019 file photo shows Ohio State Representative Larry Householder (R), of District 72, stands at the head of a legislative session as Speaker of the House, in Columbus. FBI agents were at the farm of Householder on Tuesday morning, hours ahead of a planned announcement of a $60 million bribe investigation by federal prosecutors. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)


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