Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder sentenced to 20 years in prison

CINCINNATI — Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in taking about $60 million from FirstEnergy Corp. in exchange for orchestrating a scheme to have him elected as speaker and his allies to House seats.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Jury convicts Householder in public corruption case

U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Black, in Cincinnati federal court, sentenced Householder this morning. Householder was immediately taken into custody after the verdict was issued, our media partner WCPO.com reported.

“In the end we reap what we sow,” Black said. “We sleep in the bed we make.”

News Center 7 reported in March that a jury convicted Householder and Matt Borges, former Ohio Republican Party chairman and lobbyist.

The government proved that Householder and his enterprise conspired to violate the racketeering statute through honest services wire fraud, according to the Justice Department.

Householder and four associates were arrested in 2020. News Center 7 previously reported that prosecutors allege they took about $60 million from Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. in exchange for orchestrating a scheme to elect Householder as speaker and his allies to House seats, allowing them to then pass a $1.3 billion bailout bill for two Ohio nuclear power plants.

Householder began receiving $250,000 quarterly from the energy company into one of his bank accounts. His team spent millions of the company’s money to support his political bid.

Federal prosecutors detailed in court how the former speaker spent more than a half-million dollars of “dark money” to pay off credit card balances, repair his Florida home and settle a business lawsuit.

Prosecutors wanted Householder to serve 16 to 20 years in prison because of the size and sophistication of the scheme. Racketeering conspiracy, or RICO, is a charge more often associated with organized crime bosses than elected leaders and lobbyists.

“He acted as the quintessential mob boss, directing the criminal enterprise from the shadows and using his casket carriers to execute the scheme,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Glatfelter wrote in a sentencing memorandum that also reminded Judge Black that Householder never expressed remorse, WCPO.com reported.

Householder’s attorneys asked for a sentence of 12 to 18 months. Federal sentencing guidelines recommend 20 years.

Borges, who is to be sentenced Friday, is expected to get a long prison term despite having a lesser role in the scheme. Prosecutors are asking Borges to serve five to eight years in prison; defense attorneys are asking for a year plus one day.

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