Ohio House Speaker Arrested in $60 Million 'Racketeering Conspiracy'
Federal officers arrested Ohio state House Speaker Larry Householder and four others on Tuesday over their alleged connection with a $60 million bribery case.
The arrest was confirmed by a source involved in the investigation, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio announced the federal racketeering case on Tuesday in a news release.
The others arrested included an adviser to Householder and three political consultants. Matthew Borges, one of the consultants, is a former chair of the Ohio Republican Party, USA Today reported.
A spokesman for U.S. Attorney David DeVillers described the case as a “public corruption racketeering conspiracy involving $60 million.”
The office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Householder is a key figure in the Ohio Republican Party, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. He was the speaker of the state House from 2001 to 2004 and has faced legal investigations before.
The FBI launched an investigation in 2004 over allegations that he and some of his aides were engaged in a quid pro quo with Ohio vendors, supporting specific legislation in exchange for campaign contributions.
The investigation ended in 2006 with no charges, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Householder staged a successful political comeback in 2017 and retook the speakership in 2019.
As speaker, he oversaw two Ohio nuclear power plants receiving a $1 billion bailout and led House Republicans in supporting the state’s heartbeat bill, which Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law last year.
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