Ex-GOP Ohio speaker, lobbyist guilty in $60M bribery scheme

By JULIE CARR SMYTH
Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and former state Republican chair Matt Borges have been convicted in a $60 million bribery scheme that federal prosecutors have called the largest corruption case in state history. A jury in Cincinnati found both guilty Thursday of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise involving bribery and money laundering. Each faces up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors alleged Householder orchestrated and Borges, then a lobbyist, aided in a scheme funded by FirstEnergy Corp. to secure power, elect legislative allies, then pass and defend legislation delivering the utility a $1 billion nuclear plant bailout.