Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder arrested along with four others by Federal officials on Tuesday morning in connection with a $60 million bribery case.
However, U.S. Attorney David DeVillers ‘ office would not discuss details of the case, a source connected with the investigation confirmed Householder’s arrest to The Cincinnati Enquirer.
The FBI announced Tuesday morning that it was conducting “court-authorized law enforcement activity” at the Perry County farm of Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, part of an investigation into an alleged $60 million corruption and racketeering scheme.
Larry Householder arrested following nuke plant bailout
The investigation is believed to be related to Ohio’s passage last year of a law bailing out nuclear power plants.
DeVillers plans a 2:30 p.m. press conference in Columbus to provide details on the investigation along with Chris Hoffman, the FBI’s special agent in charge.
A spokeswoman for DeVillers said an Ohio official and associates were charged in the case, which she described as a “public corruption racketeering conspiracy involving $60 million.” DeVillers has scheduled a 2:30 p.m. ET press conference to discuss the case.
A dispatcher for the Perry County sheriff’ s office told the Columbus Dispatch they were assisting the FBI this morning “in the area” of Householder’s farm. She declined to specify it was the Householder farm.
An 84-page complaint remains under seal pending federal court appearances in Cincinnati at 1:30 p.m., according to FBI spokesman Todd Lindgren.
What happened in this big bribery case?
According to a source, the investigation revolves around House Bill 6, a priority of Mr. Householder that was passed last year to bail out two struggling nuclear power plants.
The Ohio House in July 2019, narrowly voted to have Ohio consumers pay $150 million a year to rescue the financially failing Davis-Besse plant near Oak Harbor and the Perry plant east of Cleveland. Gov. Mike DeWine promptly signed the Bill.
FirstEnergy Solutions — at the time the owner-operator of Davis Besse — had said it would begin decommissioning its Davis-Besse nuclear plant in Oak Harbor by May 31, 2020, and its Perry plant east of Cleveland a year later. The plants have been unable to compete in this age of cheap and abundant natural gas.
The plants together, directly and indirectly, provide more than 4,000 jobs.
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Originally published at https://usdaynews.com on July 21, 2020.
