Overview

• The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has unanimously upheld the racketeering and bribery convictions of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and ex-lobbyist Matt Borges.
• Householder was sentenced to 20 years in prison for orchestrating a $60 million scheme to pass and protect House Bill 6, a $1 billion nuclear bailout law benefiting FirstEnergy.
• Borges, sentenced to five years, played a key role in thwarting a referendum to repeal the law, including paying $15,000 for insider information on the repeal effort.
• The court rejected all arguments in the defendants’ appeals, including claims of judicial bias, insufficient evidence, and improper jury instructions.
• Judge Amul Thapar's concurring opinion highlighted unresolved legal questions in honest-services fraud but affirmed the convictions under existing Supreme Court precedent.