BREAKING: Ohio utility company FirstEnergy signs deferred prosecution agreement with feds, including a $230 mil penalty for wire fraud and criminal forfeiture of $6.4 mil
~40 page stipulation of facts attached. Will update
FirstEnergy was the sole funder of dark money group Partners for Progress, which was used as a pass through between FirstEnergy and Gen Now (Householder's account)
Dan McCarthy, a principle to P4P, is now a top legislative aide to Gov. Mike DeWine
Larry Householder, before becoming Speaker, emailed wiring instructions to FirstEnergy executives for getting their money to Generation Now -- an entity he legally must be independent of
FirstEnergy paid eventual PUCO chairman Sam Randazzo's companies $22 million between 2010 and 2019, including $4.3 million right when he was appointed as PUCO chairman
Prosecutors aren't using the word "bribe" here, but these descriptions are coming awfully close
Under Randazzo's PUCO, Feds say the regulators scrapped a required rate review for 2024, boosting FirstEnergy's revenue forecasts
uh.
who is "Federal Official 1" at this "presidential roundtable" in August 2018
hard to be sure but this looks like Wayne Boich, coal guy, who donated $100k to Gen Now (dispatch.com/story/news/pol…) and a 501c3 solely funded by AEP, which gave $700k
What a text thread between Speaker Householder and two top FirstEnergy executives after House Bill 6 passed
"We made a bbiiiiiiiig bet and it paid off. Actually, 2 big bets. Congrats to you and the entire team!"
This is new: In 2020, with HB 6 in the rear view, First Energy made $2 million in payments through Partners For Progress and Generation Now to push Householder's "term limit" proposal that could allow him an extended tenure as Speaker
Randazzo details. While taking FirstEnergy's money as a consultant, he -- representing heavy duty industry interests which can clash with FirstEnergy's -- agreed to back off FE in a PUCO case
FirstEnergy had no legal obligation to pay Randazzo the final $4.3 million on his contract.
But then their execs had a private meeting with him and began pushing for him to run PUCO.
That payment eventually went through
House Bill 6 passes.
A FirstEnergy exec photoshops Randazzo's face on Mount Rushmore alongside energy execs and lobbyists. Text:
"HB 6 FUCK ANYBODY WHO AINT US.”
Randazzo commented that his picture was smaller than the others and then responded, “funny.”
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