Chuck Jones on the left and Michael Dowling on the right. (Photos: WEWS.)
The trial of two former FirstEnergy executives accused of masterminding the largest public corruption scheme in Ohio history began with jury selection Tuesday in Summit County.
“There are so many different fees and I don’t even know what they are for,” said FirstEnergy customer John Makley.
When Makley looked at his utility bills over the past few years, he blamed the state.
“I am disappointed that because of these indiscretions that have been alleged against us, and legislators voted for it, it has caused our prices to go up,” Makley said. “I hope the tests will definitely make up for it.”
Former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and Vice President Michael Dowling allegedly paid former Ohio Public Utilities Commission Chairman Sam Randazzo $4.3 million in bribes, and $61 million was spent to create and pass Ohio House Bill 6.
HB 6 was legislation to provide billions in aid to their struggling company.
This bribe allowed costs to be passed on to payers like Makley.
“It’s depressing,” Makley said. “I’m annoyed that I have to pay more money out of pocket.”
Jones and Dowling face nearly a dozen state charges ranging from bribery to corrupt activity. In January 2025, a federal grand jury indicted them on racketeering charges.
In March 2023, a jury found that Householder and former Republican Party leader Matt Borges participated beyond a reasonable doubt in a racketeering scheme that left four men guilty and one dead.
Neil Clark, a lobbyist accused of bribery, died by suicide after pleading not guilty in 2021.
Householder is now in prison, while Borges is released after serving half of his five-year sentence.
State charges were filed against Jones, Dowling and Randazzo in February 2024. During joint interrogation, neither of them pleaded guilty.
In April 2024, Randazzo became the second defendant in the scandal to commit suicide.
Case Western Reserve University criminal justice professor Michael Benza explained that Jones and Dowling will likely apply the same defense strategy as Householder.
“The line between legal political activity and campaign contributions and things like that and crossing that line into bribery — that line is very, very blurry,” Benza said.
The defense will argue that this was mere policy; people donate to candidates and politicians who share common interests.
“It may all have been distasteful, it may have been inappropriate, it may have been something we don’t like in politics, but these are the rules, we played by the rules,” Benza said, mimicking what he thought the defense would say. “You must acquit us.”
FirstEnergy has already pleaded guilty to bribery of public officials, including paying Randazzo a $4.3 million bribe.
Makley hopes men will take responsibility.
“I want someone to say, ‘Yes, I screwed up, we owe you money,’ but I don’t know if I’ll ever hear that from any of these officials.”
Opening statements are expected to be released in the coming days, but the trial is expected to take eight weeks.
What happened to HB 6?
HB 6 had several parts.
The part relating to the rescue of nuclear power plants was repealed in 2021.
However, until mid-2025, ratepayers continued to pay a subsidy that financed two Ohio Valley Electric Corporation coal plants – one in southern Ohio and one in Indiana.
The primary beneficiaries of OVEC were American Electric Power Company (AEP), Duke Energy, and AES Ohio.
Still, FirstEnergy collected payment for it.
In 2025, lawmakers finally repealed the remaining financial aspects of the regulations.
As a result, utilities tried to raise prices.
And it appears the PUCO is still managing to keep secrets, according to testimony alleging that the state utility regulator is trying to ease conditions and support utilities.
In overdue June 2025, a legal transcript prepared by the Ohio Consumer Counsel interviewed an auditor who admitted that PUCO employees asked him to remove the information and recommendations that would support protect consumers.
The OCC found that the PUCO, under Randazzo, encouraged auditors to go effortless on utilities and allow them to review draft audits before publication.
Who else is involved?
Major political players are linked to the scandal. Both Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Republican Sen. Jon Husted, whom we investigated for their close ties to FirstEnergy, are listed as defense witnesses.
None of them have been charged by law enforcement with any wrongdoing.
Former Rep. Bill Seitz is also listed as a defense witness.
His support helped prevent HB 6 from being completely repealed.
After he was kicked out of the legislature in 2025, the recent GOP leadership got rid of him.
Juan Cespedes and Jeff Longstreth, the two men originally charged by Householder, have changed their minds. They took a plea deal early on with support from the FBI and are still awaiting sentencing. The feds are asking for a period of 0 to 6 months.
Scripps News colleagues at WPTV in West Palm Beach contacted me to confirm Cespedes’ identity because he currently lives in Florida and is opening a bar with musician Diplo.
In December 2025, we asked Attorney General Dave Yost if he knew Cespedes was in Florida and working in the restaurant industry.
“No,” Yost replied. “I think it’s interesting that he and Mr. Longstreth are still awaiting sentencing, but you’ll have to talk to the U.S. attorney on this one.”
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This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and are published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication on other news outlets because it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.
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