Court of Appeals Confirms Convictions of Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and Lobbyist Matt Borges for $60M Bribery Scheme

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati confirmed the convictions of Householder and Borges related to the corruption case worth $60 million, which revolved around FirstEnergy and House Bill 6.

The court ruling stated, “Larry Householder was the Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. He was found guilty by a jury for his participation in a scheme to receive nearly $60 million in exchange for ensuring the passage of a billion-dollar bailout for a struggling nuclear energy company. Matthew Borges, a lobbyist, was also found guilty of being part of Householder’s conspiracy. As no significant errors were identified, their convictions have been upheld by the three-judge panel.” The decision was made public on Tuesday.

Householder, Borges and three others were arrested back in 2020 for charges related to bribery and money laundering for their efforts to push through a nuclear plant bailout measure known as House Bill 6. Generation Now, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit through which much of the money flowed, was also charged. Householder, who was removed from his role as State House speaker days after his arrest and eventually expelled from the chamber altogether, was convicted for his role in the scandal in 2023 and is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.

Borges, the former chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, was sentenced to five years in prison and three years of probation for his part in the scandal. Specifically, Borges was found to have offered a bribe in exchange for inside information on a referendum campaign aimed at repealing the bailout law.

The $60 million scheme was secretly funded by Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. in service of its nuclear subsidiary FirstEnergy Solutions, now operating independently as Energy Harbor. FirstEnergy admitted to its role in the operation and agreed to pay a $230 million fine, while a number of top executives, including CEO Chuck Jones, were fired.

3News received the following statement from Scott Pullins, attorney for Householder:

Today is a sad and disappointing day for Mr. Householder, Mr. Borges, and their families and supporters. But it is even a sadder day for constitutional free speech and the rule of law.

Mr. Householder, like former Ohio Speakers Cliff Rosenberger and Ryan Smith, and current Speaker Matt Huffman, raised undisclosed, unlimited donations for a 501c4 organization that supported him and his political allies. But the federal government singled only Mr. Householder out for prosecution.

In the HB 6 matter, Mr. Householder led one House in the legislative branch of State government. To pass HB 6 it required the support of former Senate President Larry Obhof and his chamber along with the support of Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted. All received undisclosed, corporate donations from First Energy and worked closely with them to pass HB 6. But the federal government singled only Mr. Householder out for prosecution.

After reading the PG Sittenfeld case, and now this decision, it has become clear that the sixth circuit believes that the Supreme Court must act to clarify the law more clearly around political donations and bribery. We hope and fervently pray that they will do so. Free speech must apply equally to all and cannot be left to the whims and egos of individual US attorneys.

According to 3News media partner Cleveland.com, Householder planned to ask President Donald Trump to free him from federal prison after Trump was inaugurated in January. In the meantime, Householder is also facing a total of 10 charges filed against him at the state level by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, including theft and tampering with records. A trial in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court is scheduled to start in November, according to the court docket. 

3News’ Tyler Carey and the Associated Press contributed to this story