Timeline: Ohio's largest public corruption trial
10 TV news at 5 30 starts with breaking news tonight. Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder has been convicted of a scheme involving dark money at the Ohio State House. Both Householder and former GOP chair Matt Borges. The House of Representatives were found guilty of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise involving bribery and money laundering. Householders attorneys described his acts as nothing more than hardball politics. Both men face up to 20 years in prison. Thanks for joining us at 5 30.
I'm Yolanda Harris and I'm Andrew Kinsey. Attorneys on both sides spent 30 months preparing their arguments for this trial, which to date is the largest public corruption trial in state history. It came with plenty of twists and terms. According to the complaint, those groups were controlled by then Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder. Allegedly, company A sent most of the money to a dark money nonprofit called Generation Now to support candidates Householder chose and turn helping him win his bid to Ohio House Speaker. In 2019, Householder earned that title with 26 Republicans and 26 Democrats. Shortly after House Bill 6 is introduced, it provided a one billion subsidy to fund the original two nuclear plants.
It passed the House and Senate and in July of 2019, Governor Mike DeWine signed it into law. One year later, the FBI raids Larry Householders home and brings him into federal court to be officially charged with racketeering. Householder was arrested along with Matt Borges, former Ohio Republican Party Chair and three others. The group accused of participating in a bribery scheme. The complaint listed a number of dark money groups, including Generation Now and political action committees, where money was allegedly sent. That's not illegal, but what is unlawful is how prosecutors proved it was spent. One to get Householder elected to elect others who would help him acquire subsidies.
Two, the FBI also said Householder used the money for personal benefits like paying off a lawsuit and to fix a house he owned in Florida. And three for various efforts to pass House Bill 6. Well before the trial started, two of the code defendants pleaded guilty. A third longtime lobbyist Neil Clark died by suicide. Three months later, Householder was expelled from the Ohio House. Only Householder and Matt Borges challenged the cases against them, pleading not guilty, leaving their futures in the hands of a federal jury. For six weeks, jurors heard testimony by more than 25 witnesses involving hundreds of documents.
The trial came to a pause several times due to illness involving jurors and Householder. At one point during the trial, Householder endured a scathing cross examination where he was outright accused of lying after he denied having dinners with first energy executives in Washington, D.C. during the January 2017 presidential inauguration. That's where Householders Top 8 testified that the bill out scheme was initially hatched. Householders attorney fired back, trying to convince jurors that his client was an honest politician who was looking out for everyday Ohioans when he curated the controversial House Bill 6 and pushed for its passage and preservation. And again just hours ago, a jury in Cincinnati found the two guilty of conspiracy to participate in racketeering enterprise involving bribery and money laundering.
Householder has suggested that he will appeal this decision. Of course we'll continue to bring you updates on the sentencing phase at 10TV dot com, our 10TV news app and here on air. Remember that app is free in your app store.
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