Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and four others were arrested Tuesday in connection with a $60 million bribery scheme, according to reports.
Federal officials busted Householder at his farm in Perry County early Tuesday, the Dayton Daily News reported.

Former Ohio GOP Chairman-turned-consultant Matt Borges, longtime Householder adviser Jeff Longstreth and lobbyists Neil Clark and Juan Cespedes were also taken into custody, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

The investigation centers on a bill Householder pushed through last year earmarking $1 billion to bail out two Ohio nuclear power plants owned by FirstEnergy Solutions, cleveland.com reported.

The funds would come from a new surcharge on utility customers.

The effort to pass House Bill 6 included massive donations from FirstEnergy and an aggressive multimillion-dollar ad campaign paid for by dark money, the local site reported.

The five men are expected to be arraigned by video this afternoon in US District Court in Cincinnati.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Chris Hoffman and US Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio David Devillers are expected to hold a press conference this afternoon on the racketeering case that involves bribing state officials and associates.
Householder, a farmer and businessman, has led the Republican-controlled Ohio House since January 2019. He also held the position from 2001 to 2004 but left due to term limits.

At the time, federal authorities were investigating Householder and several top advisers for alleged money laundering and irregular campaign practices. But the government never filed charges.

The speaker is one of the most powerful politicians in Ohio, overseeing how the state spends more than $140 billion, the Dayton Daily News reported.

With Post wires