NEW: Keith Faber Refuses To Commit To Continuing Case In Largest Public Corruption Scandal in State History
July 23, 2026
COLUMBUS, OH – While “one of the most high-profile tasks Ohio’s next attorney general will face is overseeing the second prosecution of ex-FirstEnergy executives Chuck Jones and Mike Dowling on public-corruption charges starting early next year,” in new bombshell reporting from Cleveland.com, Republican candidate for Attorney General Keith Faber is refusing to commit to continuing the case if elected. The FirstEnergy bribery scheme that delivered a billion dollar bailout to utilities, has rippled through Republican-controlled Columbus, and has contributed to electricity costs increasing by $663 a year for Ohioans.
“The next Attorney General of the state of Ohio will be tasked with the immense responsibility of overseeing the prosecution of FirstEnergy executives in the largest public corruption scandal in state history – and Keith Faber is proving every day that he can’t be trusted to get the job done,” said Ohio Democratic Party Communications Director Marisa Nahem. “Ohioans deserve an Attorney General who will bring transparency and accountability to Columbus after decades of Republican control have raised costs for Ohio families and allowed corruption to run rampant – Ohioans are seeing every day that John Kulewicz is that leader.”
Read more on Faber’s refusal to commit to continuing the case in the largest public corruption scandal in Ohio history:
Cleveland.com: Only one Ohio AG candidate pledges to continue FirstEnergy bribery trial
- One of the most high-profile tasks Ohio’s next attorney general will face is overseeing the second prosecution of ex-FirstEnergy executives Chuck Jones and Mike Dowling on public-corruption charges starting early next year.
- But so far, only one of the two candidates running for Ohio attorney general this fall – Democrat John Kulewicz – has pledged to continue the case if elected. The Republican nominee, Keith Faber, says he’ll hold off on committing to any course of action until he discusses the case with AG staffers after taking office.
- After the pair’s first trial ended in a hung jury in April, then-Attorney General Dave Yost obtained a new, expanded grand jury indictment against them last month. “The roots of this complex case haven’t changed – FirstEnergy was hijacked by two scheming executives who sought to control the regulator that influenced the company’s stock prices,” Yost, a Columbus Republican, said at the time.
- Jury selection in the new trial, initially set for September, is now scheduled to begin in early January, a few days before Wilson’s term ends and either Faber or Kulewicz is sworn into office.
- Kulewicz, a retired attorney and Upper Arlington City Council member, said in an interview Thursday that, if elected, he has “every intention of moving forward” with the case
- “I believe the state should move forward as fast as possible with the new indictment,” he said. “The people of Ohio deserve a speedy trial of those charges and a final resolution of the matter.”
- Faber, a Mercer County resident currently serving as Ohio’s state auditor, declined in a statement to say what he would do about the prosecution.
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