The House Bill 6 scandal—the biggest in Ohio history—was a $60 million scheme by FirstEnergy and other utility companies to buy seats and votes in the Ohio House to secure passage of a billion dollar bailout of failing nuclear and coal plants in Ohio and Indiana. The scheme was “successful” in that the money helped elect supportive legislators who then voted to pass HB6. Parts of the corrupt bill – the subsidies for aging coal plants owned by the Ohio Valley Electric Cooperative – remained law until August 14, 2025. From 2020 until August 2025,  Ohio utility customers propped up these failed plants, to the tune of over $445,000 per day. The total cost of the subsidies paid by the Ohio ratepayers is more than $500 million. 

Despite the conviction of former Speaker of the Ohio House Larry Householder and former Chair of the Republican Party Matt Borges on charges of racketeering and bribery, the investigations into the HB6 scandal continue. Such a purposefully complex bribery scheme takes time to unravel.

2025

• November 20, 2025: FirstEnergy announced that its Ohio utilities will file their next rate case in early 2026. House Bill 15 passed in May 2025 means that these cases before the Public Utilities Commission will move through the process more quickly. 
• November 19, 2025: The Public Utilities Commission found FirstEnergy violated Ohio law, PUCO regulations, and PUCO orders. The Commission ordered FirstEnergy to pay a combined $250.70 million in restitution to customers and civil forfeitures.
• November 6, 2025: The Ohio Elections Commission held a hearing on cases surrounding Householder and the House Bill 6 scandal.  The complaints are similar to the federal charges, but there is an additional allegation that Larry Householder illegally used $900,000 in campaign funds to pay for his defense. The Ohio Secretary of State filed complaints following the July 2020 arrests (2020G-015, 2020S-003 plus amendment, and  2020S-004).  The Attorney General filed an additional complaint (2020G-025).  The commission decided to delay ruling on the election violations until November 20.
• October 31, 2025: At a pretrial hearing in the bribery case against former FirstEnergy executives Chuck Jones and Mike Dowling, the defendants’ attorney argued against permitting Ohio Consumer Council Maureen Willis to testify in their trial. The defense has asked Judge Susan Ross to block the evidence from Householder’s trial and throw Attorney General Dave Yost off the case. Yost attended the hearing but didn’t speak.  After the hearing in an interview with Signal, Yost said “This is the corruption case of the century.”
• October 9, 2025: Matt Borges was released from prison after serving less than half of the sentence he received for his role in the House Bill 6 referendum.
• October 6, 2025: A panel of US Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals judges overturned a decision ordering the release of FirstEnergy two internal investigations into the utility’s involvement in the House Bill 6 scandal.
• August 26, 2025: Former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and former FirstEnergy Vice President of External Affairs Michael Dowling filed an argument urging Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Susan Baker Ross to block evidence that Sam Randazzo allegedly worked out a secret side deal with Duke Energy. Randazzo died as the result of suicide in April 2024. The state contends that Randazzo learned from the earlier side deal how to disguise a consulting agreement with FirstEnergy. FirstEnergy Corp. admitted that they paid a $4.3 million bribe to Randazzo just before he was appointed to serve on the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. FirstEnergy originally described the $4.3 million settling a consulting contract.
• August 14: House Bill 15 – passed by the state legislature and signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine – went into effect finally ending subsidies for coal plants in Ohio and Indiana. The total cost of the subsidies for aging coal plants owned by the Ohio Valley Electric Cooperative (OVEC)  is more than $500 million. These subsidies were paid for by Ohio consumers.  American Electric Power (AEP) is OVEC’s largest stockholder. Other stockholders include Dayton Power Light and FirstEnergy.  
• August 4, 2025: The Ohio Consumers’ Counsel and the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association Energy Group filed briefs with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio that call for FirstEnergy to pay more than half a billion dollars for regulatory violations connected to House Bill 6.
• July 25, 2025: The full Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder’s and former Ohio GOP Chair Matt Borges’ request for a new hearing.
• July 21, 2025:  FirstEnergy filed a brief with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio laying out their proposed consequences for their misdeeds which included: 1) collecting more than $450 million from customers marked for modernizing the electric grid without tracking how much of that money was actually used for its stated purpose, 2) using $6.6 million in ratepayer money for questionable payments primarily to Tony George, the businessman acting as a go-between with FirstEnergy and Larry Householder, 3) secretly giving more than $13 million – arranged by former Chair of the PUCO Sam Randazzo – to a group of industrial companies to drop their opposition to FirstEnergy’s electric rate plan. Despite the serious nature of the wrongdoing, in their brief, FirstEnergy recommends that the PUCO “forego punitive measures.”
• June 30, 2025: Householder is seeking another opportunity for an appeal from 6th Circuit Court. In May, a three judge panel upheld his conviction. Householder’s attorneys say that the defense should have had a chance to challenge Judge Timothy Black’s decision to dismiss a juror who refused to wear a mask.
• June 26, 2025: Matt Borges began his final 100 days in federal prison for his role in the House Bill 6 scandal.
• June 25, 2025: Appearing as an expert witness for the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel, former PUCO commissioner Ashley Brown urged regulators to impose significant financial penalties—more than $75 million in forfeitures and a $456 million refund of the Distribution Modernization Rider, a charge on customers’ bills. Brown is the founding executive director of the Harvard Electricity Policy Group Brown’s May 2025 written testimony.
• June 23, 2025: Former FirstEnergy CEO Steve Strah defended House Bill 6 saying that it was good for the company and customers at a Public Utilities Commission hearing. Strah denied knowledge of the $4.3 million payment to former PUCO chair the late Sam Randazzo and  knowledge of wrongdoing despite signing FirstEnergy’s deferred prosecution agreement. Strah says he had “trust and confidence that Mike [Dowling] knew his job and that he was going about executing it.” Former FirstEnergy Vice Pres. Dowling is facing criminal charges.
• June 20, 2025: Former FirstEnergy lobbyist Ty Pine testified before the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. He denied understanding why his face was included in a graphic in which four faces were superimposed over the heads of Mount Rushmore presidents. The graphic was captioned “HB6. F*** anyone who ain’t us.”  Faces on Mt. Rushmore from left to right: Ty Pines, former FirstEnergy VP Mike Dowling, former PUCO Chair Sam Randazzo, and the President of the Boich Companies Matt Evans. Pines received a $25,000 bonus after passage of House Bill 6 in 2019. 
• June 13, 2025: Former FirstEnergy executive Dennis Chack took the stand to answer questions from attorneys representing consumers, manufacturers, and energy companies at a hearing of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. Chack downplayed a text message from former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones that detailed the influence former PUCO Chair– the late Sam Randazzo– exerted on FirstEnergy’s behalf. Additionally, Chack denied knowing the breadth of decisionmaking that commissioners engage in and that commissioners were prohibited from speaking about ongoing cases at the PUCO.
• May 29, 2025: Following President Trump’s pardon of former Cincinnati City Council P.G. Sittenfeld, Larry Householder’s attorney Steve Bradley said that they planned to  continue the appeal process. Bradley didn’t comment on whether Householder is seeking a pardon from Trump. Matt Borges’ attorney Dennis Belli said he and his client are deciding whether to appeal the most recent decision.
• May 28, 2025: Summit County Court of Common Pleas Judge Susan Baker Ross determined that FirstEnergy should be treated by prosecutors as a party to rather than the victim of the alleged crimes committed by former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and lobbyist Mike Dowling.  This decision is important because of the protections in the Ohio  Constitution for victims called Marsy’s Law.  Additionally, the judge dismissed theft charges against Jones and Dowling because FirstEnergy admitted to participating in the bribery.
• May 28, 2025: The Ohio Consumers’ Counsel sought subpoenas to compel testimony from six former FirstEnergy executives and lobbyists for a Public Utilities Commission of Ohio investigation into the House Bill 6 scandal. Those subpoenaed include former FirstEnergy CEO Steven Strah, former FirstEnergy Director of State Affair Ty Pines, and former Senior VP and Chief Legal Officer Robert Reffner.
• May 15, 2025: Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 15 which eliminates the subsidies for the Ohio Valley Electric Cooperative’s coal plants – the last remnant of  House Bill 6.  HB6 was passed by the state legislature and signed by Gov. Mike DeWine on July 23, 2019.  
• May 6, 2025: A three-judge panel of the Sixth Circuit District Court of Appeals upheld  Householder’s and Matt Borges’ convictions.
• April 30, 2025: The Ohio General Assembly passed House Bill 15 which eliminates subsidies for the Ohio Valley Electric Cooperative’s coal plants – the last remnant of the corrupt House Bill 6. HB6 was passed by the state legislature and signed by Gov. Mike DeWine on July 23, 2019. 
• April 25, 2025: Summit County Common Pleas Judge Susan Baker Ross set January 26, 2026 as the trial date for Former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and Vice President Mike Dowling.
• April 21, 2025: Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard Brown ordered former FirstEnergy lobbyists Joel Bailey, Justin Biltz and Ty Pine and former FirstEnergy executive Dennis Chack to answer questions before the Public Utilities Common of Ohio (PUCO). Previously, they invoked their Fifth Amendment rights. The judge’s order provides immunity from prosecution. Judge Brown served in the Ohio House of Representatives and in 2019 voted in favor of House Bill 6.
• April 15, 2025: HBO released the first of two documentaries exploring dark money.  “Ohio Confidential” focuses on the House Bill 6/Householder scandal and includes interviews with former US Attorney David Devillers, former Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, veteran Statehouse reporter Laura Bischoff, and whistleblower Tyler Fehrman. 
• April 10, 2025: Common Pleas Judge Kevin Kelley postponed Householder’s April 28 trial on state charges to November 3.
• February 5, 2025: Before a Sixth Circuit panel of judges, Larry Householder’s attorney argued that his role in the bailout was merely “politics as usual.”
• January 17, 2025: The SEC announced that American Electric Power—which has managed to fly under the radar until now—has agreed to pay $19 million because of their $1.2 million dark money payments in the corruption scheme as well as lies to investors.  
• January 17, 2025: Former FirstEnergy executives Chuck Jones and Mike Dowling were indicted on federal racketeering charges. 
• January 9, 2025:  Judge rejects former FirstEnergy executives Chuck Jones and Mike Dowling’s request for grand jury transcripts.

2024

• December 3, 2024: Former Chair of the Public Utilities Commission Sam Randazzo’s shell company pleaded guilty for its role in enabling the secret payment of $4.3 million from FirstEnergy to Randazzo.  
• November 18, 2024: Two former lobbyists for FirstEnergy Joel Bailey and Justin Biltz pleaded the Fifth during questioning by the Ohio Consumer Counsel in a state regulatory investigation by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
• November 12, 2024:  Larry Householder’s attorney says that Householder will seek a presidential pardon from Donald Trump. 
• October 15, 2024: Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Kevin Kelley scheduled Householder’s trial on state charges including theft in office, aggravated theft, telecommunications fraud, money laundering and tampering with records for April 28, 2025.
• September 13, 2024: FirstEnergy agrees to pay $100 million fine to settle charges from the SEC about the company’s role in the Householder/HB6 scheme. Chuck Jones still faces charges. 
• September 12, 2024: The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed charges against Chuck Jones, former FirstEnergy CEO alleging that Jones participated in the scheme to directly and indirectly provide Householder about $60 million to garner support for legislation to benefit FirstEnergy and misled investors.
• September 11, 2024: Former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and former Senior Vice President of External Affairs Michael Dowling were charged with bribery and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity in an amended complaint.
• July 12, 2024: FirstEnergy loses appeal to shield internal investigations of HB6 scheme. However, this decision didn’t make these records immediately available to the public. 
• August 26, 2024: Prosecutors respond to Householder’s appeal: “Householder could not have lawfully received millions of undisclosed dollars from FirstEnergy for campaign or election purposes. The FirstEnergy payments were akin to bags of cash or deposits into Householder’s personal account that he could use for any purpose.”
• May 31, 2024: Larry Householder pleads not guilty to state charges.
• April 19, 2024: Public records reveal that FirstEnergy gave $2.5M to Republican Governors Association, a dark money group backing Mike DeWine’s bid for governor.
• April 15, 2024: Lt. Gov. Jon Husted refuses to say if he knew about dark money contribution.  
• April 10, 2024: Public records reveal that FirstEnergy made a secret $1 million payment to a group to support Lt. Gov. Jon Husted’s campaign. 
• April 9, 2024: Former PUCO chair Sam Randazzo died likely as the result of suicide.
• March 24, 2024: Larry Householder indicted on state charges including theft in office and campaign finance violations.
• February 28, 2024: Former Ohio Speaker Householder files appeal, says bribe payment was within First Amendment rights.
• February 12, 2024: Two former FirstEnergy executives, Randazzo indicted by Summit County grand jury.

2023

• December 4, 2023: Grand jury indicts former state public utilities chairman, Sam Randazzo, for federal bribery, embezzlement crimes
• June 29, 2023: Larry Householder is sentenced to 20 years in prison.
• March 9, 2023: Larry Householder and Matt Borges were found guilty of racketeering (trial transcripts).
• Jan. 20, 2023: Jury selection begins.
• Jan. 6, 2023: Prosecutors’ trial brief reveals that FirstEnergy gave $400K to two dark money nonprofits One Ohio United and Citizens for a Working America. These organizations than passed the money on to the Hardworking Americans PAC which targeted Larry Householder’s opponent in the 2018 Republican primary.  
• Jan. 4, 2023: Yost and other lawmakers subpoenaed as witnesses.
• Jan. 3, 2023: Judge Tim Black denies Larry Householder’s motion to dismiss. 

2022 

• December 2022: FirstEnergy agrees to pay $3.9M for failing to tell the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission about payments to former PUCO Chairman Sam Randazzo and to Generation Now.  
• October 2022: AEP receives a second subpoena from the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission. 
• March 2022: U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Black publishes schedule for Householder’s trial with jury selection on Jan. 20, 2023. 

2021

• July 2021: FirstEnergy reaches a deferred prosecution agreement and is fined $230 million. FirstEnergy admitted to conspiring “with public officials and other individuals and entities to pay millions of dollars to public officials in exchange for specific official action for FirstEnergy Corp.’s benefit.” 
• June 2021: The Ohio House expels Householder (75-21). American Electric Power (AEP) announces that the SEC has issued a subpoena about the role of a nonprofit affiliated with AEP, Empowering Ohio’s Economy which gave $150,000 to Generation Now. House Bill 6 includes a bailout of coal plants owned in part by AEP. AEP’s nonprofit also gave $200,000 to the Coalition for Opportunity & Growth. This appears to be the committee that spent $1 million in 2018 to candidates favored by Householder.

• 

• April 2021: FirstEnergy begins talks about deferred prosecution.
• March 2021: Veteran lobbyist Neil Clark dies as a result of suicide. This month, Gov. DeWine also signs House Bill 128, which partially repeals House Bill 6. HB 128 doesn’t remove language in House Bill 6 that gutted the energy efficiency and renewable energy mandates or remove the subsidies for two coal plants owned by Ohio utility companies. 
• February 2021: Generation Now Pleads Guilty to federal racketeering. Householder’s chief political aide Jeff Longstreth signed the plea document. 

2020

• Nov. 21, 2020: Sam Randazzo resigns as chair of the Public Utilities Commission. 
• Nov. 16, 2020: The FBI raids Chair of the Public Utilities Commission Sam Randazzo’s house.
• October 2020: Householder allies Longstreth & Cespedes’ guilty pleas unsealed. Longstreth admitted that he participated in the management of Generation Now, the nonprofit funded by FirstEnergy and that he “engaged in financial transactions that were designed to conceal the nature, source, ownership and control of payments.” Cespesdes admitted that he orchestrated payments to Generation Now and that he understood that the funds were meant to help Larry Householder achieve political goals and to help pass House Bill 6. Separately, FirstEnergy fired its CEO Chuck Jones and Vice President Mike Dowling.

• July 21, 2020: Former Speaker of the Ohio House Larry Householder and his allies — Neil Clark, Matt Borges, Jeff Longstreth, and Juan Cespedes — are arrested. All of them, as well as Generation Now 501(c)(4) were charged with public corruption and racketeering. Not only was FirstEnergy not charged at this time, but it also simply appears as “Company A” in the complaint. The complaint lays out how dark money groups were used to benefit Householder politically and to garner a bailout. 

• February 2020: FirstEnergy Solutions announced it successfully restructured under Chapter 11 bankruptcy and that it is changing its name to Energy Harbor
• January 2020: Jeff Longstreth, Larry Householder’s chief political aide and strategist, received $1M from Generation Now.

2019

• November 2019: In a win for the utilities (but a loss for Ohio ratepayers) PUCO eliminates the requirement for a new rate case for FirstEnergy.
• October 2019: Pro-referendum campaign misses deadlines & the energy bailout bill (House Bill 6) goes into effect.
• September 2019: Tyler Fehrman, the campaign manager for the referendum on House Bill 6, wears a wire for the FBI during meetings with Matt Borges, an Ohio Republican operative and lobbyist. These recordings reveal that Borges was attempting to gain insider information about the referendum effort. 
• August 2019: The Attorney General approved a referendum petition for a public vote to overturn House Bill 6. Ohioans for Energy Security launched a $1 million TV and radio ad campaign opposing the referendum on HB6. These ads were aggressive and xenophobic. 

• July 2019: Ohio House passes House Bill 6 (53-43).
• May 2019: Ohio Senate passes House Bill 6 (19-12).
• May-July 2019: Ads from Generation Now—funded by FirstEnergy promoting House Bill 6 — appear on the television, social media, and in Ohioans’ mailboxes. 
• April 2019: House Bill 6 was introduced to bail out two nuclear plants, paid for by utility ratepayers. That month, Sam Randazzo was also confirmed by the Ohio Senate as chair of the PUCO. 
• January 2019: FirstEnergy gives $4.3 M to Sustainability Funding Alliance, a shadowy for-profit corporation run by Sam Randazzo, who was later appointed the Chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO). 

2018

• March 2018: FirstEnergy Solutions announces closure of nuclear plants including Davis Besse and files for bankruptcy.