Generation Now, the nonprofit that prosecutors say received millions in bribes, pleads guilty to racketeering charge involving House Bill 6 John Caniglia, cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio The nonprofit at the heart of the state’s largest corruption scandal pleaded guilty Friday to a federal racketeering charge involving House Bill 6.
Generation Now helped receive more than $60 million in bribes that FirstEnergy Corp. and its affiliates gave former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and his allies in exchange for the passage of a $1.3 billion bailout for two aging nuclear power plants that a FirstEnergy subsidiary once owned, according to federal court filings.
The plea before U.S. District Judge Timothy Black in Cincinnati called for the forfeiture of nearly $1.5 million. The plea agreement in the case and other documents show the purpose of Generation Now was to take in undisclosed donations from FirstEnergy and its affiliates to benefit Householder.
Beacon Journal Editorial Board
What will it take to knock down House Bill 6, a corrupt Ohio law that still stands like the coal-fired smokestacks of old?
After nearly eight months of waiting, it appears Ohio Senate Bill 10, sponsored by Republican Sen. Mark Romanchuk, is advancing. That’s good news for consumers, as it would formally remove one form of electric utility subsidy and provide refunds to electric utility customers. However, coal and nuclear subsidies would stay, and renewable energy provisions would remain dead.
HB 6 remains polluted by a $61 million bribery scandal tied to its support and passage. Federal investigators allege that FirstEnergy Corp., known as “Company A” in court filings, bribed former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, R-Perry County, and others to pass the bill that allows a $1 billion-plus rate-payer bailout of two nuclear power plants and other operations once owned by Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp.
FirstEnergy Corp. s latest earnings report it made more than $1.1 billion in profit last year took a back seat Thursday morning to executives explaining how they are making the Akron utility less political, more open and focused on compliance as it deals with federal and state investigations over the $61 million Householder bribery scandal.
FirstEnergy s leadership is working to make the company more transparent and less politically involved, Steven Strah, president and acting chief executive officer, said in a conference call with industry analysts. FirstEnergy released its earnings before the stock market opened.
FirstEnergy has stopped making political contributions and will no longer make contributions to political nonprofit 501 (c) (4) organizations, he said.
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