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Federal Appeals Court Upholds Convictions in Ohio's $60M Bribery Scandal

Larry Householder and Matt Borges remain in prison after the Sixth Circuit unanimously rejects all appeals in the House Bill 6 corruption case.

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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.