[1] It was described as "likely the largest bribery, money laundering scheme ever perpetrated against the people of the state of Ohio" by U.S. Attorney David M. DeVillers, who charged Householder and four others with racketeering on July 21, 2020.
These ties dated back to during the 2016 United States presidential election, with Cleveland restauranteur Tony George as the intermediary between Householder and FirstEnergy executives.
[5] In addition, Householder and his son flew on a corporate jet owned by FirstEnergy to attend the inauguration of Donald Trump.
Senator Sherrod Brown also joined the prominent voices calling for Householder's resignation and additionally blamed the scandal on Republican one-party rule in Ohio state politics.
[15] A year after the news officially broke about the scandal, on July 22, 2021, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio announced that FirstEnergy would be fined $230 million for their part in it.
[23] Sam Randazzo, the former chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, was implicated and charged for accepting a $4.3 million bribe in connection with the scandal,[24] and committed suicide on April 9, 2024.