Five years after a major bribery scandal rocked Ohio, many say there hasn’t been enough change to stop similar corruption from happening again. The scandal involved FirstEnergy Corp. and a $60 million bribery scheme that cost consumers over $2 billion. It all came to light in July 2020 with the arrest of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and several associates.
Householder was found guilty of running a secret plan to use bribery and dark money to win allies, become speaker, and push through a $1 billion bailout for nuclear plants under House Bill 6. He is now serving 20 years in federal prison. Several others involved either pleaded guilty or, tragically, died by suicide.
Despite these convictions, the use of dark money in politics has continued to grow. Experts say federal laws aren’t clear enough, and both major parties use these secret funds, which has made lawmakers hesitant to push for reform. A recent study found that dark money spending hit nearly $2 billion in the 2024 federal elections, doubling the amount from 2020.
Ohio lawmakers have tried to pass anti-corruption bills, but so far, nothing has passed in the Republican-controlled legislature. Leaders argue they don’t have the power to change federal campaign finance laws. Meanwhile, prosecutions related to the scandal are still underway.
FirstEnergy admitted to using dark money groups to support Householder’s rise in exchange for favorable legislation. The company agreed to pay $230 million and other penalties, including $100 million from the Securities and Exchange Commission. But FirstEnergy hasn’t yet been hit with any penalties from Ohio’s state utility regulator, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO).
The PUCO is now holding hearings to find out if FirstEnergy misused funds that were supposed to go toward upgrading the electric grid. FirstEnergy says it has invested billions in such upgrades and changed its corporate policies to prevent future issues. PUCO officials say they have also improved ethics training and oversight since the scandal.
Still, some experts and consumer advocates are unhappy with how the PUCO has handled things. They point out that FirstEnergy hasn’t returned the bribery money to customers, who have already paid over $500 million due to the fallout. There has been no public release of FirstEnergy’s internal investigation, and the state regulator has yet to demand a full audit or corporate overhaul.
Part of the bailout law that helped the nuclear plants was repealed in 2021, and $26 million was refunded to customers. Another part that subsidized struggling coal plants was canceled more recently, but until those changes take effect, Ohio ratepayers continue to shoulder significant costs—close to half a million dollars per day—with no clear plan for getting that money back.
While the scandal exposed major corruption, many worry that not enough has changed to stop this kind of scheme from happening again. The road ahead for Ohio’s political and regulatory systems remains uncertain as investigations continue and lawmakers debate possible reforms.