Public service or massive theft? Arguments begin in Ohio bribery and corruption case.
CINCINNATI — It depends on who you listen to. It was either a gargantuan bribery and money laundering scheme or it was a case of a conscientious public servant using his free speech rights to help the people of Ohio.
Those were the stories told Monday by opposing counsel in the racketeering trial of former state House Speaker Larry Householder. He and a codefendant, lobbyist Matt Borges, are accused of participating in a scheme that used $61 million — largely from Akron-based FirstEnergy — to elect lawmakers who would make Householder speaker and then pass a $1.3 billion bailout that mostly benefited a former FirstEnergy subsidiary.
In announcing Householder’s arrest in 2020, federal prosecutors said it was likely the biggest bribery and money laundering scandal in the state’s 217-year history.
After 12 jurors and four alternates were seated last week, opening statements and testimony began on Monday in the Potter Stewart U.S. Courthouse in Cincinnati. Almost immediately, U.S. District Judge Timothy Black was admonishing lawyers.
In the midst of her opening, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Glatfelter complained that talking amongst Householder’s attorneys was distracting her. Later, with the jury out of the courtroom, Black slammed the lawyers for muttering and making faces and told the lawyers to stop such “bush league” activity.
Glatfelter proceeded to portray their client as an unprincipled official who pulled together a criminal scheme in a lust for power and to line his pockets.
“Larry Householder sold the state out,” she said. “He ripped off the people he was elected to serve. Millions of dollars of bribe payments to pay for his political and personal gain.”
https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/01/24/public-service-or-massive-theft-arguments-begin-in-ohio-bribery-and-corruption-case/