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CINCINNATI, Ohio – Former Ohio House of Representatives speaker Larry Householder (pictured),convicted last year by a Cincinnati jury of their peers in what prosecutors say was a $60 million GOP bribery scheme involving House Bill 6, two nuclear power plants, and greedy right wing politicians and GOP businessmen, was sentenced to 20 years behind bars on Thursday. by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Black, the maximum sentence available for his notorious crimes .

Lat year, a federal jury in Cincinnati found the former state lawmaker and Matt Borges. a lobbyist and former chair of the Ohio Republican Party, guilty of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise involving bribery and money laundering in Ohio's largest ever corruption case. Borges awaits sentencing. Last year's guilty verdicts against the pair came after about 9-1/2 half hours of deliberations over the course of two days. The trial began on Jan 23, though indictments were issued some two and a half years earlier. And while Householder, 63, took the stand to testify in his own defense Borges 50, did not, after prosecutors made a fool of Householder during cross examination.

"Through its verdict today, the jury reaffirmed that the illegal acts committed by both men will not be tolerated and that they should be held accountable," said Kenneth U.S. district Attorney Kenneth Parker, who helped to prosecute the case, after the stinging verdict was issued.

An FBI agent testified in the notorious case and broke it wide open saying that Householder pocketed $500,000 from the bribery scheme, if not more. Special Agent Blane Wetzel also told the jury three weeks into the trial that Borges purportedly got $366,000 and Jeff Longstreth, a Householder advisor, and Juan Cespede,  two of Householder's co-defendants, allegedly stole some $3.2 million between them.

FirstEnergy Corp. of Akron and two of its Ohio nuclear power plants are at the core of the  case, which has gained national attention and has touched nearly every major Republican political player in Ohio, including Gov Mike DeWine, Secretary of State Frank LaRose and state attorney general David Yost. They have not been charged in the ongoing legal saga and have been mum since Thursday's verdict came down

Described in a damning complaint filed in federal district court by the U.S. district attorney's office, Householder and  FirstEnergy Corp, and a host of others, stood or stand accused of scheming to steal taxpayer monies under the guise of a nuclear power plant bailout in one of the worst bribery schemes in Ohio history. At the center of the controversy is Householder's relationship with FirstEnergy Corp officials and a $1.3 billion financial rescue legislation dubbed HB 6 , a state law adopted in 2019 that added an additional fee to every electricity bill in the state That state electricity surcharge was to generate some $150 million annually in payments for seven years to subsidize FirstEnergy’s two failing Ohio nuclear plants (Perry and Davis-Besse) and was mired in public corruption, prosecutors say. State lawmaker repealed part of HB6 last March with support from the governor.

Householder was specifically accused of using some $100,000 in bribery money, part of $500,000 in illegal monies the FBI confiscated from his personal accounts, for costs on his home in Florida. His co-conspirators got hundreds of thousands of dollars too, if not millions, prosecutors say And FirstEnergy officials were obliged to fund the  bribery scheme, according to the complaint.

David DeVillers, the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio and Parker's predecessor, called the case one of the worst misuses of Ohio tax-payer money in American history, and public corruption and money laundering of mass proportions. More than a dozen others, practically all of them Republican operatives, have also been arrested and charged in connection with the now infamous bailout fiasco.

FirstEnergy helped finance Householder's election in 2018, the complaint says, coupled with bankrolling a successful effort led by the former House speaker to get the Republican-dominated general assembly to pass HB6, which was supported by only 10 House Democrats.

Householder and Borges were once two of the top influential Republicans in Ohio, until authorities came lurking around, including the FBI, and the IRS.

A Republican political consultant and ally to former Ohio GOP governor John Kasich, Borges was chair of the state GOP party from 2013 until former president Donald Trump assumed office in January of 2017. He is a Trump critic and lobbied against the former president's failed reelection bid in 2020.

Republicans and Democrats alike removed the former House speaker from office in June of 2021, and before his trial,  the House voting 75-21 to expel the embattled state representative for his role in the multi-million dollar pay-to-play scheme The House had voted 90-0 in July of 2020 to remove Householder as speaker, a week after he and four other Republican affiliates, including Borges, were arrested in the case.

Householder is the first member to be expelled from the Ohio House of Representatives in 164 years, He called his expulsion while his criminal case is pending undemocratic and said the basis for it, disorderly conduct, is ludicrous. And he called it a disrespect to voters.

"They have taken away the vote of the 72nd house district and disenfranchised voters," Householder told reporters after his expulsion

But state House Democrats, led by then minority leader Emilia Sykes, now a congresswoman out of Akron, said then that it was long overdue and should have been done sooner, and some Republican state lawmakers angry with the former speaker's misgivings echoed the sentiment.

Republican Brian Steward co-sponsored the expulsion resolution and told reporters after it passed that if bribery, money laundering and racketeering are not disorderly conduct then what is.  Robert Culp, a Republican and speaker of the House at the time also pushed  expulsion of his former ally. He said then that "now we can put this behind us."

Culp was succeeded earlier this year as House speaker by Rep Jason Stephens, a rural southern Ohio Republican.

By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor in chief. Coleman trained for 17 years as a reporter with the Call and Post Newspaper in Cleveland Ohio and is an investigative and political reporter with a background in legal and scientific reporting. She is also a former 15-year public school biology teacher.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

Tuesday, June 27, 2023 – Cleveland – Mayor Justin M. Bibb (pictured), Cleveland's fourth Black mayor, announced Tuesday two new appointments and three reappointment's to the  Board of Education for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), the city's largely Black public school district that changed its name and was once a party to the now defunct and longstanding schools desegregation case titled Reed v Rhodes.

Sara Elaqad, Leah D. Hudnall, and Denise Link were reappointed while Robert Briggs and Diana Welch Howell are new appointees.  All five will begin terms that start next week and are set to expire in 2027, the mayor said in a press release on Tuesday.  Current board members Louise Dempsey and Kathleen Valdez will conclude their terms of service next week.  As part of the transition, Bibb, 36,  also announced that Elaqad will serve as chair and Hudnall will serve as vice chair for the Board, succeeding Chair Anne Bingham and Vice Chair Robert Heard, both of whom will continue serving as board members.

"I would like to thank Louise and Kathleen for their service, and both Anne and Robert for the time they dedicated in their leadership roles," said Mayor Bibb.  "You all have done great work and laid the foundation for success for generations to come."

Per state law, the city's mayor controls the city's public schools and chooses board members.

The CMSD Board of Education serves as the nine-member governing body of the school district and is tasked with setting policy, approving the district's budget,  hiring and firing employees, establishing goals and accountability standards, promoting parent, family and community involvement, and appointing the CEO with the Mayor's concurrence.  All board members serve four-year terms who makes the final appointment after candidates go before selective panels.

DR Warren Morgan, who is Black, was selected in May as the schools CEO, warren replacing outgoing CEO Dr. Eric Gordon.

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" I'm confident that this Board's unique experience, skill set and capabilities will benefit our students and our community." said Warren.

About the Board Appointees:

Attorney Robert Briggs, currently Partner & Chairman Emeritus at Buckingham Law firm, has been significantly involved with various nonprofits, civic institutions, and educational organizations throughout his career.  He has served as counsel for multiple businesses and foundations and has held multiple leadership positions both locally and nationally.  He co-founded the Fund For Our Economic Future in 2004, served as President of the GAR Foundation from 1996 to 2011, chaired the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation from 2010 to 2014, and served as Executive Director of the Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education from 2014 to 2016.  His contributions have earned him several awards and recognitions, including Team NEO's 1st Annual H. Peter Burg Regional Vision Award in 2005, the Harold K. Stubbs Humanitarian Award in 2010, and an Ohio Philanthropy Award and Crain's Cleveland Business Difference Maker in 2011.

Briggs served in the United States Air Force as a staff judge advocate and currently resides in Bratenahl.  His appointment maintains compliance with state statute requiring that at least one member of the Board lives in the CMSD footprint outside the City of Cleveland.  He is admitted to the Ohio Bar, New York Bar, U.S. District Court – Northern District of Ohio, and the U.S. Tax Court.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University and a J.D. from The Ohio State University School of Law.  He is also a licensed realtor in Ohio and Michigan.

Sara Elaqad has served as Executive Director the last five years for Minds Matter Cleveland – the local chapter of the national nonprofit organization aimed at connecting highly motivated, low-income high school students with the resources, tools, and people to succeed in college.  The organization provides mentoring services, writing classes, test preparation, application assistance, financial aid advisement, and summer immersion programs, and boasts a 100% college acceptance rate.  She also served three years as Chair for the organization's National Chapter Leadership Council.  Prior to her role at Minds Matter, she served as Academy Manager of Curriculum and Outcomes for Boys Hope Girls Hope of Northeast Ohio, and has also been a mentor in Global Cleveland's Global Rising Program and served on the board of Cleveland Orchestra's Circle.  Elaqad's work earned her the YWCA Greater Cleveland Distinguished Young Woman Award in 2019.  She has also been recognized in Crain's 40 Under 40 class in 2019 and as a Notable Immigrant Leader in 2020.

Elaqad is a Cleveland resident and currently lives in the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood.  She holds two Bachelors of Arts degrees from The Ohio State University – one in French and another in International Relations and Diplomacy – and a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University's School of Law.

Diana Welch Howell, currently Head of Hospitals Expansion for KeyBank's Laurel Road brand, has over a decade of corporate banking experience focused on business management, corporate strategy and development, and financial analysis.  She has worked for Fifth Third Bank in Cincinnati, JPMorgan Chase Bank in Chicago, and KeyBank where she has developed models and advised on financial forecasting and planning processes, strategic investments and growth opportunities, merger and acquisitions, process improvements, and metrics tracking and reporting.  She started at KeyBank in July 2014 and served in numerous roles with progressive responsibility before being promoted to Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer for Enterprise Digital and Laurel Road.  Now, as Head of Hospitals Expansion, she manages partner relationships with large hospital systems for Key Bank's Laurel Road brand – a financial well being solutions platform that has helped thousands of professionals refinance more than $9 billion in school loans.

Welch-Howell, a downtown Cleveland resident, has served as a mentor for CollegeNow and Girl Scouts and has volunteered on the Young Professionals Board for United Way of Metro Chicago.  She holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration in Finance from the University of Cincinnati.

Leah D. Hudnall, currently an Assistant Professor of Practice at Cleveland State University's College of Urban Affairs, has held various leadership roles across the public, nonprofit, and private sectors.  She currently serves on the board for Cleveland VOTES and Birthing Beautiful Communities.  She began her career at the KeyBank Foundation and has since held positions at the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, the George Gund Foundation, and the Saint Luke's Foundation.  She offers a broad range of professional and lived experience, which she's leveraged in her grantmaking, civic consulting, and community engagement work.  In 2020, she founded The Legacy Perspective, a civic consulting firm that offers communications and community engagement services to local and national organizations.

Hudnall, a city of Cleveland native and resident, is a third generation CMSD alumnus, graduating from the Cleveland School of the Arts.  She lives on Cleveland's southeast side with her husband and two young children – one of whom is a rising first grader in the school district.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Culture from Howard University and a Master of Arts degree in nonprofit administration from John Carroll University.

Denise Link has worked for PNC Bank for over 35 years and is currently a Vice President of Retail Network Planning for multiple states in the Southwest market.  She has extensive banking, financial and business management experience and has volunteered through numerous roles dedicated to advancing education in the Cleveland community.  She has been a mentor for both College Now and the True2U program, was a founding member of the Cleveland Transformation Alliance, served as treasurer of the board for Children First of Cleveland, was a Commissioner for the Bond Accountability Commission, and has volunteered with PNC's Grow Up Great program since 2009.  Her commitment to urban education earned her the Richard R. Greene Award in 2013 – a prominent achievement from the Council of the Great City Schools that recognizes exceptional contributions to urban students and schools.

Link, a longtime Cleveland resident who currently lives in Ohio City with her husband, has two children – both of whom attended CMSD schools.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Psychology from the University of Michigan and an MBA in Organizational Behavior from Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.