Utility to Pay $20 Million in Ohio Bribery Scheme

The energy company at the center of a $60 million bribery scheme in Ohio has agreed to pay $20 million and avoid criminal charges as part of a deal with state prosecutors.

Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. announced the deal on Tuesday, a day after it filed the agreement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The deal calls for the company to cooperate with the ongoing investigations being conducted by the state attorney general and the Summit County prosecutor’s office and also settles FirstEnergy’s involvement in a civil lawsuit filed by the attorney general in 2020.

FirstEnergy logo

FirstEnergy will pay $19.5 million to the attorney general’s office within five business days and will pay $500,000 for an independent consultant to review and confirm unspecified “changes and remediation efforts” made by the company.

Two fired FirstEnergy Corp. executives were indicted in April as part of the long-running investigation into the scheme that has already resulted in a lengthy prison sentence for a former state House speaker.

The company will pay $20 million to avoid prosecution in the bribery scheme.

Former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and former FirstEnergy Services Corp. Senior Vice President Michael Dowling were charged in relation to their alleged roles in the massive corruption case. Both men have denied any wrongdoing. Another man charged alongside them, former Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chairman Sam Randazzo, had pleaded not guilty in both federal and state courts before dying by suicide at age 74 in April.

Ohio State Capitol

Jones and Dowling were fired in October 2020 for violating company policies and code of conduct.

Former House Speaker Larry Householder was sentenced in June 2023 to 20 years in prison for his role in orchestrating the scheme, and lobbyist Matt Borges, a former chair of the Ohio Republican Party, was sentenced to five years. Federal prosecutors have said those involved in the scheme used the $60 million in secretly funded FirstEnergy cash to get Householder’s chosen Republican candidates elected to the House in 2018 and then to help him get elected speaker in January 2019.

Ohio Statehouse

The deal with FirstEnergy is the latest development in the ongoing investigation into the bribery scheme. The company has agreed to cooperate with the investigation and to implement changes to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The company has agreed to cooperate with the investigation and to implement changes to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The case has sparked widespread outrage and calls for greater transparency and accountability in government and corporate dealings.

Protesters outside the Ohio Statehouse

The agreement with FirstEnergy is a significant step towards holding those responsible for the bribery scheme accountable and ensuring that justice is served.

The agreement with FirstEnergy is a significant step towards holding those responsible for the bribery scheme accountable and ensuring that justice is served.

However, many questions still remain unanswered, and the investigation is ongoing.

Investigator looking at documents

As the investigation continues, it is clear that the bribery scheme has had far-reaching consequences and has damaged the public’s trust in government and corporate institutions.

The bribery scheme has had far-reaching consequences and has damaged the public’s trust in government and corporate institutions.

It is essential that those responsible are held accountable and that measures are taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.

It is essential that those responsible are held accountable and that measures are taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The people of Ohio deserve transparency and accountability from their government and corporate leaders.

The people of Ohio deserve transparency and accountability from their government and corporate leaders.

The agreement with FirstEnergy is a step in the right direction, but there is still much work to be done to restore the public’s trust and ensure that justice is served.

The agreement with FirstEnergy is a step in the right direction, but there is still much work to be done to restore the public’s trust and ensure that justice is served.