Republican Larry Householder, the former speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in a major racketeering conspiracy that rocked the Buckeye State.
The punishment, meted out by U.S. district judge Timothy Black, is the maximum penalty allowed under the law.
“The court and the community’s patience with Larry Householder has expired,” the judge said in issuing the sentence on June 29.
Householder, 64, and former Ohio Republican Party chairman Matthew Borges, 50, were convicted in March—each on a single racketeering charge—after a six-week trial.
The jury found that Householder organized and Borges participated in a $60 million bribery scheme funded by Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. to establish Householder’s power, elect his allies, pass a $1 billion bailout for a FirstEnergy affiliate’s aging nuclear plants, and then thwart a ballot effort to overturn the bill.
The scheme was “one of the largest public corruption conspiracies in Ohio history,” according to Kenneth Parker, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.
“Elected officials owe a duty to provide honest services to their constituents—transparency, integrity, and accountability are foundational principles of democracy,” Parker noted in a statement. “Householder once held one of the three most powerful officers in the State of Ohio. Now, because of his corruption, he will serve a substantial prison sentence.”
Sentencing
Prior to his sentencing, Householder appealed to the judge for leniency, holding that a longer sentence would hurt his family members more than it would him.“I wasn’t power hungry. I went home,” he said, referencing his departure from the Ohio House between speakerships. He added that he and his wife had given “every ounce of energy we have to make life better for others.”
Judge Black, however, was unmoved. Citing Householder’s obscene statements presented at trial, he challenged the politician’s depiction of himself as a family-oriented man.
“‘If you’re going to [expletive] with me, I’m going to [expletive] with your kids,’” he quoted, among other statements.
Householder, the judge said, was “a bully with a lust for power” whose actions constituted an “assault on democracy, the betrayal of everyone in Ohio.”
Householder’s attorneys had pushed for a sentence of just 12–18 months, holding that the humiliation and disgrace the politician had faced throughout the trial was a form of punishment in and of itself.
Prosecutors, on the other hand, felt 16–20 years would be more appropriate. Householder, they charged in a sentencing memo, “acted as the quintessential mob boss, directing the criminal enterprise from the shadows and using his casket carriers to execute the scheme.” That setup, they added, was designed to give him “plausible deniability.”
Parker, speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, said the government was grateful for the judge’s decision.
Ongoing Probe
The federal investigation into the bribery scheme remains ongoing.In a statement following Householder’s sentencing, FBI Cincinnati special agent in charge J. William Rivers said he hoped the result would serve as a deterrent to others, adding, “The FBI will continue to investigate and pursue those who abuse their positions and take advantage of the public.”
According to the Department of Justice, between March 2017 and March 2020, the criminal enterprise funneled millions of dollars in bribes paid by way of campaign donations. The funds were channeled through Generation Now, Householder’s nonprofit 501(c)(4), and were ultimately used for both political and personal gain.
In addition to funding the political campaigns of Householder and his allies, more than $500,000 of the dark money also went toward paying off his credit card bills, repairing his Florida home, and settling a business lawsuit. Another $366,000 was spent by Borges for his personal benefit.
Three other individuals have been charged for their involvement in the conspiracy, including political operatives Juan Cespedes, 41, and Jeff Longstreth, 44. Both pleaded guilty to racketeering and are cooperating with authorities.
Cespedes, a lobbyist, was “a key middleman, participating in strategy meetings and communicating with Enterprise members and associates regarding strategic decisions,” according to a July 2020 court filing. Longstreth was a longtime Householder adviser.
Neither has yet to be sentenced, but under their plea deals, they each face up to six months in prison.
Neil Clark, another lobbyist, was also charged in the scheme. Clark had pleaded not guilty before he was found dead in Collier County, Florida, in March 2021. His death was ruled a suicide.
Generation Now pleaded guiltyto one count of racketeering in February 2021.
