Ohio Reindicts Former FirstEnergy CEO and SVP on State Bribery Charges
Prosecutors say new facts from civil litigation show the executives funneled millions through dark‑money groups to shape passage of HB 6.
Overview
- A Summit County grand jury refiled state charges against former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and senior vice president Michael Dowling for bribery, conspiracy and fraud, a move announced after new evidence surfaced.
- Prosecutors allege the executives directed millions of dollars to a nonprofit controlled by then‑House Speaker Larry Householder to elect a sympathetic Ohio House majority and secure passage of HB 6, a 2019 law that delivered large financial benefits to FirstEnergy.
- FirstEnergy previously struck a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement, paid a $230 million fine and admitted using dark‑money groups and a $4.3 million payment tied to former PUCO chair Sam Randazzo, who died in 2024 before trial.
- An earlier state trial of Jones and Dowling ended in a hung jury after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict, and prosecutors have said they plan a retrial with jury selection expected this fall while parallel federal charges remain pending.
- The reindictment grew from evidence produced in civil litigation, a development that could shape state and federal cases, influence corporate accountability for utility policy lobbying, and affect Ohio ratepayers through possible renewed scrutiny of HB 6 and regulatory reforms.