FirstEnergy and FirstEnergy Solutions donated more than $1 million to nonprofit groups and political campaigns since 2017 to help elect Gov. Mike DeWine, according to a Dayton Daily News investigation.
The utility companies’ use of undisclosed political donations is at the center of an alleged nearly $61 million bribery scheme that federal prosecutors say resulted in a $1.3 billion energy bailout bill passed into law. DeWine has not been identified as a target of that federal investigation.
The Dayton Daily News examined multiple campaign finance and IRS records to uncover the amount of the energy companies’ support for DeWine’s election efforts.
The biggest single check that is publicly disclosed — $500,000 — came from FirstEnergy Solutions on Oct. 11, 2018, to the Republican Governors Association, IRS records show. DeWine met with FirstEnergy executives at an RGA fundraiser in downtown Columbus on Oct. 10, 2018, according to his spokeswoman.
In a Feb. 18 earnings call, FirstEnergy top executives pledged transparency and said the company ceased political contributions and would no longer contribute to politically oriented nonprofit organizations. But the company declined to disclose contributions it might have made to political groups that supported DeWine in recent years.
In July, federal prosecutors charged former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and four others with racketeering, alleging they ran a nearly $61 million bribery scheme using undisclosed political money to position Householder as speaker and then pass and defend a $1.3 billion bailout law. While FirstEnergy and FirstEnergy Solutions aren’t specifically named in court documents, the descriptions identify those companies as alleged participants in the scheme and the utility has said it is working with investigators.
The Dayton Daily News has been analyzing House Bill 6 since its introduction in April 2019 and digging into the public corruption case since it was revealed in July 2020.
Read the full story at the Dayton Daily News.