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| A $60 Million Bribe. A $1.3 Billion Bailout. A 20-Year Prison Sentence. | A $60 Million Bribe. A $1.3 Billion Bailout. A 20-Year Prison Sentence. |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The former speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives was given the maximum 20-year prison sentence on Thursday for his central role in what prosecutors said was perhaps the biggest public corruption scandal in the state’s history. | The former speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives was given the maximum 20-year prison sentence on Thursday for his central role in what prosecutors said was perhaps the biggest public corruption scandal in the state’s history. |
| The former speaker, Larry L. Householder, was convicted in March of racketeering and bribery for accepting some $60 million from a major utility holding company, FirstEnergy Corporation, in exchange for arranging a $1.3 billion bailout for two troubled nuclear power plants the company operates. | The former speaker, Larry L. Householder, was convicted in March of racketeering and bribery for accepting some $60 million from a major utility holding company, FirstEnergy Corporation, in exchange for arranging a $1.3 billion bailout for two troubled nuclear power plants the company operates. |
| The sentence was handed down in a federal courtroom in Cincinnati after Mr. Householder, unapologetic and leaning heavily on his faith and family, presented a plea for leniency that U.S. District Judge Timothy Black rebuffed in blistering terms. | The sentence was handed down in a federal courtroom in Cincinnati after Mr. Householder, unapologetic and leaning heavily on his faith and family, presented a plea for leniency that U.S. District Judge Timothy Black rebuffed in blistering terms. |
| “My concern isn’t for me,” Mr. Householder told the judge. “Who pays the price? My wife, sons, family and friends.” | “My concern isn’t for me,” Mr. Householder told the judge. “Who pays the price? My wife, sons, family and friends.” |
| “I’m not buying it,” Judge Black responded. “You reap what you sow.” He added: “You were not serving the people. You were serving yourself. You were a bully in your lust for power.” | |
| FirstEnergy, a Fortune 500 company based in Akron, admitted in 2021 that it had conspired with Mr. Householder. But Mr. Householder, 64, has steadfastly denied any guilt. |