As an always-timely reminder that crime only pays when you hide it really well, a former speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, Larry Householder (R), was sentenced to 20 years in prison on federal racketeering conspiracy charges yesterday. Householder was the central figure in a complicated bribery scheme that’s been described as probably the worst political corruption scandal in Ohio history, which suggests there have been so many that it’s kind of a judgment call.
Here’s the summary from the Associated Press, since trying to collect all the moving pieces makes my brain hurt:
Householder and lobbyist Matt Borges, a former chair of the Ohio Republican Party, were both convicted in March of a single racketeering charge each, after a six-week trial. Borges is set to be sentenced Friday.
Jurors found that Householder orchestrated and Borges participated in a $60 million bribery scheme secretly funded by Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. to secure Householder’s power, elect his allies, pass legislation containing a $1 billion bailout for two aging nuclear power plants owned by a FirstEnergy affiliate and then to use a dirty tricks campaign to stifle a ballot effort to overturn the bill.
FirstEnergy pleaded guilty to its part in the racket in 2021, and agreed to pay $230 million in fines. Officials from the company testified in the trial of Householder and Borges, as did two Householder political advisors who previously pleaded guilty in the case. The quids all lined up with the quos, like a pro.
As we said back in January when the trial started, it really takes some pretty sleazy behavior to actually get nailed for bribery these days, after the Supreme Court decided bribing elected officials was just awesome, actually.
ACTUALLY AWESOME!
Ohio Republicans’ SIXTY MILLION DOLLAR Bribery Trial Powered By Nuclear Energy
Supreme Court: Isn’t That $175,000 Bribe Really Just $175,000 ‘Speech’?
At yesterday’s sentencing hearing, US District Judge Timothy Black told Householder, “Beyond financial greed, I think you just liked power. […] You weren’t serving the people. You were serving yourself.”
The Columbus Dispatch reports that Householder didn’t express any remorse for the scheme, but tried to argue for a lenient sentence because it would be so difficult for his family.
“I would give my life in a heartbeat for my wife and any of my sons,” he said.
When Householder’s attorney Steven Bradley made a similar argument right before the sentencing, Black interrupted: “The harm to his family was caused by him, not by the court.”
Does Judge Black have a fan club? We would like to sign up for its newsletter.
Black turned down Householder’s attorneys’ request that he be allowed to report to prison; instead, the former political boss was handcuffed and taken into custody at the end of the hearing.
Wow, that is very mean and might just possibly suggest to other politicians an image they would not want their families to see. We are of course joking; they never expect to get caught.
The Dispatch reports that in their sentencing memo, federal prosecutors wrote that Householder “acted as the quintessential mob boss, directing the criminal enterprise from the shadows and using his casket carriers to execute the scheme.” The feds asked for a sentence of 16 to 20 years, the maximum for the racketeering charge. His attorneys said maybe a year or a year and a half might be more appropriate, what with Householder being a respectable family man and all.
More, you say? Sure! He was not all that respectful of other people’s families, for starters:
During the trial, witnesses detailed Householder’s vengeful behavior. In secretly recorded conversations, Householder promised retribution on two GOP lawmakers: “If you’re going to f–k with me, I’m going to f–k with your kids.”
“When people disagreed with you, which is par for the course in politics, you didn’t try to compromise or reach resolutions or build bridges, you took it as a declaration of war,” Black said when sentencing Householder Thursday. “Bottom line: You were a bully with a lust for power who thought he was above everyone else.”
Householder’s attorneys are already planning an appeal, arguing that Black had a big mean grudge like a meanie because Black had lost an election for the Ohio Supreme Court, when he ran as a Democrat. The Columbus Dispatch didn’t say whether that grudge included a vow to fuck with anyone’s kids, however.
[AP / Columbus Dispatch / Image: Video screenshot, WLWT-TV on YouTube]
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