Overview
- Former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and ex-lobbyist Michael Dowling are on trial in Akron on 11 counts tied to a $4.3 million payment to then-regulator Sam Randazzo, with proceedings expected to last about two months.
- Prosecutors told jurors the payment was a bribe to secure favorable rulings and help advance House Bill 6, while the defense said it was a lawful obligation stemming from a prior settlement that Randazzo misappropriated.
- Judge Susan Baker Ross barred testimony about Larry Householder’s arrest and conviction, FirstEnergy’s 2021 plea deal, Randazzo’s suicide and related guilty pleas by his companies, as well as the defendants’ separate federal charges.
- A pending ruling on whether jurors can see an email Randazzo sent to PUCO staff after a call with Dowling remains pivotal, and prosecutors warned they may appeal if it is excluded, which could delay the trial.
- Court filings detail December 2018 meetings with then–Governor-elect Mike DeWine and Jon Husted and subsequent texts discussing a $4.33 million figure, and both officials are listed as potential defense witnesses.