COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal complaint released Tuesday says Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder used more than $ 100,000 in bribery money from FirstEnergy to pay for costs related to his Florida home. Court and property records indicate that the same house has been a source of headaches for the Head of the family in recent years.
The homeowner bought the house in Naples in 2009, but recently found himself at the center of monetary and zoning disputes over the property. Officials in Collier County, where Naples is located, filed a complaint about the house after it failed to pay its property taxes for 2016 and 2017. Last year, the homeowner’s failure to maintain the home led to three zoning appointments, according to court records.
The federal complaint released Tuesday does not specify how Householder used $ 101,825 in bribery money at his home in Naples, a city located on the west coast of Florida along the Gulf of Mexico. The head of the family also used money for other purposes, including $ 215,000 to settle a personal lawsuit against him and pay $ 20,000 in credit card debt, the complaint says.
The head of the family paid $ 365,000 for the Naples house in 2009, but its value plummeted during the Great Recession. Its value recovered to $ 345,000 in 2018, but fell to $ 306,000 last year, according to property records.
Collier County officials cited Householder for being delinquent on his property tax bills for 2016 and 2017. He eventually paid $ 9,412 in unpaid taxes and fines at the same time he paid his $ 4,356 bill for 2018, according to records. .
However, his tax problems continued until 2020: The homeowner has yet to pay his 2019 property taxes, due June 1. He currently owes $ 4,299 in taxes and interest, according to the records.
The Naples house also fell into disrepair. On February 12, 2019, Collier County cited Householder for a series of code violations on the property, including a moldy ceiling with missing or damaged tiles and broken or boarded up windows. The head of the family also did not have an approved barrier around his pool, according to court records.
On October 4, 2019, Householder appeared at a public hearing where a special magistrate found him guilty of violating zoning and building codes. The magistrate ordered him to pay $ 111 in court costs and address the violations.
Subsequently, the head of the family hired contractors to replace a tile roof and install a new screen in the house, according to records.
An Alabama bank also filed a complaint about the Naples house while trying to recover a $ 1.8 million judgment against Householder and others. The ruling stemmed from a 2010 loan from The Union Bank to D&E Mining, an Alabama coal mining business that had Householder as an investor. The bank sued D&E Mining for the unpaid portion of the loan in 2013, according to court records.
The head of the family did not respond to the lawsuit filed in the Jackson County, Alabama Circuit Court, so Union Bank requested summary judgment in the case, according to court records. A judge granted the motion for summary judgment in 2014 and ordered D&E Mining, Householder and others to reimburse $ 1.8 million.
The head of the family questioned the ruling and told the Associated Press that he sold his stake in the coal mining company years earlier.
Court records in Alabama and Florida do not indicate how the ruling was resolved. But Union Bank acknowledged the “satisfaction of judgment” against Householder only in a court filing on August 13, 2018 in Collier County.
The federal complaint revealed Tuesday only makes several passing references to the Naples house. The head of the family and his co-defendants, collectively called “the company” in the complaint, are accused of conspiracy to commit illegal acts. If convicted, they could face up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $ 250,000, court officials said Tuesday.
According to the complaint, they are accused of accepting bribes from FirstEnergy Corp. in exchange for their efforts on behalf of House 6. The bill benefited two Ohio nuclear power plants owned by FirstEnergy Solutions, a former subsidiary of FirstEnergy. Corp. which is now a completely separate entity known as Energy Harbor.
The head of the family said Tuesday that he does not plan to resign, despite calls from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and other officials.
