Householder and Posse of Racketeers Indicted by Federal Grand Jury, Face Up to 20 Years in Prison

A Federal Grand Jury has indicted Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and five others in connection with what U.S. Attorney David DeVillers has called the largest racketeering scandal in the state of Ohio's history.

As an affidavit laid out earlier this month, the criminal conspiracy involved more than $60 million paid by the energy giant FirstEnergy to a nonprofit called Generation Now controlled by Householder in order to secure his own election as Speaker, to pass the controversial HB 6, and to defend the bill from a statewide referendum effort, all while enriching Householder and his supporters. Householder received more than $400,000 in personal benefits from the Generation Now funds. 

The U.S. Attorney's office announced that the indictment was returned Tuesday and officially filed Wednesday morning.

In addition to Householder, who despite the criminal charges has refused to relinquish his elected position, the four others indicted are Mathew Borges, the former chair of the Ohio Republican Party; Jeffrey Longstreth, Householder’s veteran aide (and the guy who incorporated Generation Now); and lobbyists Neil Clark and Juan Cespedes. The men face up to 20 years in prison for their crimes.

“Dark money is a breeding ground for corruption," U.S. Attorney David M. DeVillers said in a statement provided to the media. "This investigation continues.”


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