Former Republican speaker of the state house Larry Householder and former state GOP chairman Matt Borges have been convicted in a corruption scandal that would have netted an Ohio power company a one billion dollar taxpayer bailout for a nuclear power plant, CBS News reports.
Prosecutors allege Householder created a scheme, funded by Akron-based utility company FirstEnergy Corp., that would allow him to get lackeys elected to seats, giving him enough votes to pass the bailout legislation. An energy industry lobbyist at the time, Borges was accused of aiding Householder’s plan.
The scandal, which culminated with more than 150 charges filed against the group, led to the expulsion of Householder from the state house, which he once ran but where he became the first speaker thrown out of office.