-BREAKING- Sam Randazzo, PUCO Chair indited on 11 FED CHARGES -HB6

[irisblue]

Source-https://www.dispatch.com/news/

Title-Federal grand jury indicts former Ohio PUCO chairman Sam Randazzo

10:07 am


Snip-"Ohio's former top utility regulator, Sam Randazzo, is charged with crimes related to bribery and embezzlement and is scheduled to appear in federal court Monday.

Randazzo, 74, of Columbus, self-surrendered at U.S. District Court in Cincinnati, according to federal prosecutors. Randazzo is charged in an 11-count indictment that was returned on Nov. 29.

snip-"Randazzo faces one count of conspiring to commit travel act bribery and honest services wire fraud, two counts of travel act bribery, two counts of honest services wire fraud, one count of wire fraud and five counts of making illegal monetary transactions, according to Parker's office."



more info as I learn it.

[irisblue]

1. From Cincinnati.com

Remember Randazzo is tight with DeWine & Husted

10:07 am posting

Title-Former PUCO chairman Sam Randazzo indicted on bribery, fraud charges in federal court
Laura A. Bischoff
Cincinnati Enquirer

snip-"Randazzo began his career as a staff attorney at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and later as an assistant attorney general before entering private practice. He represented Industrial Energy Users-Ohio from 1992 to 2019, and he been a critic of Ohio’s renewable energy mandates put in place in 2008.

In February 2019, DeWine appointed Randazzo to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, which regulates telecom, natural gas, and electric companies. It's a powerful position that impacts mega utilities and millions of consumers.



And Randazzo went on to advocate for House Bill 6, which would've provided a $1.3 billion bailout to help FirstEnergy and other utilities. DeWine signed it into law in July 2019Randazzo began his career as a staff attorney at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and later as an assistant attorney general before entering private practice. He represented Industrial Energy Users-Ohio from 1992 to 2019, and he been a critic of Ohio’s renewable energy mandates put in place in 2008.



more at source


source-https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2023/12/04/former-puco-chairman-sam-randazzo-indicted-on-federal-bribery-charges/10156459002/

[Diamond_Dog]

2. Good.

Lock him up, too.

This doesn’t reflect too well on Mikey, does it?

[irisblue]

3. How Randazzo spent millions from FirstEnergy

https://energynews.us/newsletter/where-the-money-went/

[Wuddles440]

4. Long Overdue!!!

But better late than never.

[irisblue]

5. From the Columbus NPR station

https://news.wosu.org/

snip-"The indictment alleges he received more than $4.3 million from the energy company and its affiliates to provide favorable official actions for the company through PUCO proceedings."


snip-"Lobbyist Juan Cespedes and Jeffrey Longstreth, a top Householder political strategist, pleaded guilty in October 2020. The third person arrested, statehouse lobbyist Neil Clark, pleaded not guilty before dying by suicide in March 2021. The dark money group used to funnel FirstEnergy money, Generation Now, also pleaded guilty to a racketeering charge in February 2021.

All were accused of using the $60 million in secretly funded FirstEnergy cash to get Householder’s chosen Republican candidates elected to the House in 2018 and then to help him get elected speaker in January 2019. The money was then used to win passage of the tainted energy bill, House Bill 6, and to conduct what authorities have said was a $38 million dirty-tricks campaign to prevent a repeal referendum from reaching the ballot."


snip-"The indictment states that in March 2019, Randazzo allegedly attempted to conceal his embezzling by wiring approximately $1.1 million between bank accounts that were under his control."


more there