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House Speaker Larry Householder and four other political operatives were charged with racketeering in what US Attorney David DeVillers described as “likely the largest bribery money laundering scheme ever perpetrated against the people of the state of Ohio.”
“Make no mistake, these allegations are bribery. Pure and simple,” DeVillers said in a news conference. “This was pay-to-play. I use the term pay-to-play because that’s the term they’ve used as alleged in the affidavit.”
CNN has reached out to Householder’s office for comment on the accusations.
A criminal complaint filed on Thursday and unsealed on Tuesday specifically alleges that Householder and three others orchestrated an operation to accept over $60 million dollars from “Company A” in return for a public bailout for the company worth more than $1 billion.
While the complaint does not name “Company A,” prosecutors indicate at numerous points that the company is FirstEnergy Corp. — including citations to news articles that mention the company by name.
CNN has reached out to the company for comment.
The bribery money, DeVillers said, was used to “line the pockets of the defendants.”
In response to the charges, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called on Householder to “resign immediately.”
Todd Lindgren, a spokesman for the FBI’s Cincinnati field office, told CNN earlier Tuesday that agents were at the farm property of Householder in Glenford, Ohio “conducting court-authorized law enforcement activities.”
Deputies with the Perry County Sheriff’s office were also in the area of Householder’s home with the FBI, according to a spokesperson with the sheriff’s office.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
CNN’s Paul LeBlanc contributed to this report.
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