COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Husted is scheduled to testify remotely Wednesday in Akron in the high-profile corruption trial of two former FirstEnergy Corp. executives.
As a defense witness for former CEO Chuck Jones and former lobbyist Michael Dowling, Husted is likely to be asked to corroborate details of the many meetings, emails and texts referenced over the five weeks of the trial where his name has been mentioned. He has not been accused of wrongdoing.
Husted’s testimony comes as he faces a hot-button retention bid this fall to keep the Senate seat to which he was appointed last year as a successor to JD Vance. He is expected to face Democrat Sherrod Brown, a three-term former senator who lost a reelection bid in 2024.
Husted was Ohio’s lieutenant governor-elect in early 2019, when prosecutors allege that Jones and Dowling bribed Ohio’s future top utility regulator, the late Sam Randazzo, in exchange for legislative and regulatory favors. That included championing a $1 billion bailout of two FirstEnergy-associated nuclear plants at the heart of the overarching $60 million bribery scandal in which the executives’ prosecutions arose. For masterminding the scheme, former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder is serving 20 years in prison.
Then-Gov.-elect Mike DeWine — who appointed Randazzo to the powerful Public Utilities Commission of Ohio — and Husted dined with Jones, Dowling and Josh Rubin on Dec. 18, 2018, at the storied Athletic Club of Columbus. Earlier in the day, Rubin — a FirstEnergy lobbyist and adviser to the 2018 DeWine-Husted campaign — had provided advice to the executives on how to lobby DeWine, then the governor-elect, in favor of the company’s preferences to chair the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, according to a text contained in the criminal complaint.
Rubin cautioned the executives not to mention to DeWine that they would be meeting Randazzo at his residence after the dinner. Later in the day, Randazzo texted Dowling a list of figures for the years 2019 through 2024: “Total 4,333,333.” “Got it, Sam,” Dowling replied. “Good seeing you as well. Thanks for the hospitality. Cool condo.”
The next day, Jones also texted Randazzo. “We’re going to get this handled this year, paid in full, no discount,” he wrote. “Don’t forget about us or Hurricane Chuck may show up on your doorstep! Of course, no guarantee he won’t show up sometime anyway.”
Randazzo replied, “Made me laugh — you guys are welcome anytime and anywhere I can open the door. Let me know how you want me to structure the invoices. Thanks.”
Randazzo faced state and federal charges for his role in the scheme before dying by suicide in April 2024.
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