House Speaker Larry Householder and four other political agents were charged with organized crime in what United States Attorney David DeVillers described as “probably the largest bribery scheme against the people of the state of Ohio”.
“Make no mistake, these allegations are bribes. Pure and simple,” DeVillers said at a press conference. “This was pay per game. I use the term pay per game because that is the term they have used as alleged in the affidavit.”
CNN has reached out to the Householder’s office to comment on the allegations.
A criminal complaint filed Thursday and revealed Tuesday specifically alleges that Householder and three others organized an operation to accept more than $ 60 million from “Company A” in exchange for a public bailout for the company of more of $ 1 billion.
While the complaint does not name “Company A,” prosecutors indicate at numerous points that the company is FirstEnergy Corp., including quotes from news articles that mention the company by name.
CNN has reached out to the company for comment.
The bribe money, DeVillers said, was used to “cover the pockets of the accused.”
In response to the charges, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine asked the head of the family to “resign immediately.”
Todd Lindgren, a spokesman for the local FBI Cincinnati office, told CNN Tuesday morning that officers were on Householder’s farm property in Glenford, Ohio, “carrying out court-authorized police activities.”
Agents from the Perry County Sheriff’s Office were also in the area of the head of the family’s home with the FBI, according to a spokesman for the sheriff’s office.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
CNN’s Paul LeBlanc contributed to this report.
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