CINCINNATI — Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder has filed an appeal of his federal racketeering conviction, 3News has learned.
In a filing in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, Householder's attorneys cited insufficient evidence, inaccurate jury instructions, and a violation of Householder's rights related to the makeup of the jury as several reasons for the appeal. Specifically, Householder's team accused prosecutors of "tr[ying] him as a scapegoat for what it viewed to be a corrupt piece of legislation supported by undisclosed campaign contributions that were permitted by federal law."
Householder and four others were arrested back in 2020 for charges related to bribery and money laundering for their efforts to push through a nuclear plant bailout measure known as House Bill 6. Householder, who was removed from his role as State House speaker days after his arrest and eventually expelled from the chamber altogether, was convicted for his role in the scandal last year and is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.
The $60 million scheme was secretly funded by Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. in service of its nuclear subsidiary FirstEnergy Solutions, now operating independently as Energy Harbor. FirstEnergy admitted to its role in the operation and agreed to pay a $230 million fine, while a number of top executives including CEO Chuck Jones were fired.
However, in their appeal, Householder's lawyers strongly pushed back on the jury's conclusion, stating plainly that "Householder did not engage in bribery." Citing the U.S. Supreme Court case McCormick v. United States, they assert that "any alleged quid pro quo involving a campaign contribution must be 'explicit,'" and that Householder's activity did not meet that standard.
"The government needed to show an explicit and unambiguous quid pro quo, but it presented little firsthand evidence of Householder’s direct communications with FirstEnergy executives," the appeal states. "Instead, it based most of its evidence on innuendo and speculation."
Furthermore, Householder's attorneys noted how the Department of Justice "did not charge — and still has not charged — any of the corporate executives who allegedly bribed Householder, nor did the government call these alleged bribers as witnesses at trial." They accused prosecutors of instead relying on a case agent who was "simply reading text messages and other communications to which he was not a party."
At the trial, two of Householder's co-defendants — Jeffrey Longstreth and Juan Cespedes — did testify against him after pleading guilty. Additionally, while, the federal government has not charged any current or former FirstEnergy executives, the state of Ohio has, with Attorney General Dave Yost announcing indictments against Jones and ex-Senior Vice President of External Affairs Michael Dowling earlier this month. Former Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chairman Sam Randazzo also faces both state and federal charges.
Prosecutors have not yet responded to Householder's appeal. Besides the ex-speaker, former Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges is also serving a five-year prison sentence for his role in the scandal.