The Ohio FirstEnergy bribery scandal was a political scandal in Ohio involving a scheme in which electric utility company FirstEnergy funneled roughly $60 million through Generation Now, a 501(c)(4) organization associated with Larry Householder, the Republican Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, in connection with efforts to pass and defend House Bill 6 and its $1.3 billion ratepayer-funded bailout and related subsidies.
It was described as "likely the largest bribery, money laundering scheme ever perpetrated against the people of the state of Ohio" by U.S. Attorney David M. DeVillers, who charged Householder and four others with racketeering in July 2020. According to prosecutors, FirstEnergy poured millions into the campaigns of 21 candidates during the 2018 Ohio House of Representatives election, which ultimately helped Householder replace Ryan Smith as Republican House speaker and pass House Bill 6, which increased electricity rates and provided subsidies of approximately $150 million per year for the Perry and Davis–Besse nuclear plants, owned by FirstEnergy.
In 2021, FirstEnergy entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice and agreed to pay a $230 million penalty in connection with the bribery scheme. In 2023, Householder was convicted of racketeering conspiracy and sentenced to 20 years in prison. In 2024, FirstEnergy agreed to pay $100 million to settle charges with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission related to the bribery scheme. In 2025, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio ordered FirstEnergy's Ohio utilities to refund $186 million to customers and pay $64 million in civil forfeiture following an investigation tied to the scandal.
Background Before the enactment of House Bill 6, Ohio's renewable energy and energy efficiency standards were governed by Senate Bill 221 in the 127th General Assembly, which established benchmarks that utilities were required to meet; those standards were later rolled back under House Bill 6.
House Bill 6 was introduced during the 133rd Ohio General Assembly. The bill was sponsored in the Ohio House of Representatives by Jamie Callender. The legislation advanced after the organization of the Ohio House at the start of the General Assembly in January 2019, when Larry Householder was elected Speaker.
The Ohio Senate passed House Bill 6 on July 17, 2019. The Ohio House of Representatives passed the bill on July 23, 2019. Governor Mike DeWine signed the bill into law on July 23, 2019. The bill increased electricity rates, with customers paying an extra $500 million by 2025, and provided that money as a $150 million per year subsidy for the Perry and Davis–Besse nuclear plants, subsidized coal-fired power plants, and reduced subsidies for renewable energy and energy efficiency. Governor Mike DeWine signed the bill the day it passed. This bill was described as the "worst legislation yet" among bills that subsidize fossil fuels by Leah Stokes and the "worst energy bill of the 21st century" by David Roberts of Vox.
Even before the bribery scandal came to light, the financial connections between Larry Householder and FirstEnergy were public knowledge. These ties dated back to the 2016 United States presidential election, with Cleveland restauranteur Tony George, who is also the father of fellow restaurateur Bobby George, serving as the intermediary between Householder and FirstEnergy executives. In addition, Householder and his son flew on a corporate jet owned by FirstEnergy to attend the inauguration of Donald Trump.
Consumer advocates and the natural gas industry tried to place a ballot initiative on the 2020 ballot to overturn the law but were unsuccessful due to negative campaigning by Generation Now.
Organization of scheme Federal prosecutors alleged that FirstEnergy and related interests used payments routed through Generation Now—a 501(c)(4) nonprofit—as part of a racketeering conspiracy connected to the passage and defense of House Bill 6.
Reporting on the House Bill 6 case described the use of nonprofit and independent-spending mechanisms to finance political advertising and election activity connected to legislative outcomes in Ohio. Analysis published by the Ohio Capital Journal described the case as an example of how untraceable political spending can shape state policymaking.
Investigative reporting during the federal investigation described how former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder recruited and supported a group of Ohio House candidates who became known as "Team Householder." According to reporting by Cleveland.com, the candidates were encouraged to run for office with the understanding that, if elected, they would support Householder's bid to become Speaker of the Ohio House following the 2018 election.
The Ohio House of Representatives has 99 members, and a majority vote of the full chamber is required to elect a Speaker at the beginning of each General Assembly.
The Cleveland.com investigation identified more than 20 Republican candidates associated with the effort. Several of those candidates benefited from political support in the form of independent expenditures and allied campaign spending during the 2018 Ohio House elections.
Federal prosecutors later alleged that the electoral success of candidates aligned with Householder enabled him to secure the speakership. According to court filings, Householder's control of the Ohio House leadership position allowed House Bill 6 to advance through the legislature.
Court filings and contemporaneous reporting described the recruitment of aligned candidates as part of a broader political strategy tied to Householder's leadership ambitions, emphasizing coordinated electoral outcomes ahead of the speaker selection process rather than traditional legislative caucus-building.
Householder was elected Speaker at the start of the 133rd General Assembly, succeeding Ryan Smith, after receiving a majority of votes in the Ohio House.
Team Householder candidates According to contemporaneous reporting by Cleveland.com, former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder recruited and supported a group of Republican candidates during the 2018 Ohio House of Representatives elections who were collectively referred to as "Team Householder." The report stated that the candidates were encouraged to run for office with the understanding that, if elected, they would support Householder's bid to become speaker of the Ohio House following the election.
Subsequent federal investigations and reporting described how political spending by Householder-aligned groups was used to support these candidates during the 2018 election cycle.
The candidates identified in the report included:
Brian Baldridge, Jamie Callender, Jon Cross, Brett Hillyer, Don Jones, Jena Powell, Tracy Richardson, Bill Roemer, J. Todd Smith, Shane Wilkin
The Cleveland.com report stated that the electoral success of candidates recruited by Householder contributed to his ability to secure enough votes to regain the speakership at the start of the 133rd Ohio General Assembly.
Campaign contributions to Ohio House candidates
Federal prosecutors stated that Larry Householder exercised control over political spending connected to House Bill 6 through Generation Now and related entities, as described in court records and sentencing filings. The filings also noted that, in addition to independent expenditures described in the federal case, Householder made direct campaign contributions to Ohio House candidates through lawful channels.
Reporting by ABC6 News documented that Householder donated more than $200,000 to Ohio House candidates who later voted in favor of House Bill 6, based on campaign finance records reviewed by the outlet. The report did not allege that the contributions were illegal, but noted their timing in relation to legislative action on the bill.
How the money flowed
Federal court opinions and charging documents describe a scheme in which money originating with FirstEnergy Corp. was routed through nonprofit entities and used for political operations connected to the passage and defense of House Bill 6, including spending to support candidates aligned with Larry Householder and efforts to protect the law after its enactment.
Described flow of funds
According to the Sixth Circuit, FirstEnergy provided funds that were directed to Generation Now, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization. The court opinion states that Generation Now was used to receive and disburse money for political purposes tied to Householder's effort to regain the speakership of the Ohio House of Representatives and to advance House Bill 6 through the legislature.
The charging documents allege that the nonprofit structure allowed the payments to be concealed from public disclosure while being used for election-related spending and issue advocacy connected to the legislation.
In a separate federal indictment announced in 2025, prosecutors alleged that former FirstEnergy executives used an additional 501(c)(4) entity, Energy Pass-Through, to route money connected to the same bribery scheme. That indictment also alleged a related bribery arrangement involving payments to entities associated with Sam Randazzo, the former chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO).
The Sixth Circuit concluded that the evidence supported the jury's finding that these funding arrangements constituted a coordinated enterprise exchanging financial support for political action, rather than independent political advocacy.
Utility campaign contributions outside the Generation Now scheme
In addition to the concealed political spending routed through Generation Now, other Ohio electric utilities made legal, disclosed campaign contributions during the House Bill 6 period and its aftermath.
Reporting by the Energy and Policy Institute documented campaign donations connected to American Electric Power (AEP) to Governor Mike DeWine's reelection campaign after AEP disclosed that it had received a subpoena from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission related to potential financial benefits associated with House Bill 6.
According to the same reporting, the AEP political action committee contributed $10,000 to DeWine's campaign on July 26, 2021. In addition, individual AEP executives made personal contributions totaling $15,500 earlier in July 2021, based on Ohio campaign-finance records cited in the report.
Additional campaign finance filings from the Ohio secretary of state show that the DeWine–Husted campaign committee received contributions from multiple energy and utility-affiliated political action committees during the 2018 election cycle. Reported contributions included:
FirstEnergy Corp PAC — $12,707.79 (campaign) and $10,000 (inaugural) NiSource Inc. PAC — $8,500 and $12,500 Duke Energy PAC — multiple contributions totaling approximately $22,500 Dominion Energy PAC — multiple contributions totaling approximately $10,000 American Electric Power PAC — $10,000 (inaugural)
These amounts are reflected in publicly available campaign finance filings maintained by the Ohio Secretary of State.
Separate reporting found that FirstEnergy made a $1 million payment through a dark money group to support Jon Husted's campaign prior to the public emergence of the House Bill 6 scandal.
Entities and individuals explicitly named in the cited records
The following entities and individuals are explicitly named in the Sixth Circuit opinion and the DOJ charging materials cited above.
Corporate and nonprofit entities
FirstEnergy Corp., Generation Now [501(c)(4)], Energy Pass-Through [501(c)(4)], American Electric Power (AEP), AEP executives
Government bodies involved