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HUSTED TRIAL TRACKER: As New Trial Looms, Jon Husted’s Central Role In The Largest Bribery Scandal in Ohio History Comes Under Even More Scrutiny

June 10, 2026

Ohio families paying $663 more a year on utility bills thanks to Husted’s corruption

COLUMBUS, OHIO — In case you missed it, Jon Husted’s corrupt donors were reindicted with new criminal charges in the FirstEnergy bribery scheme — the largest public corruption scandal in Ohio history. The widened scope of the reindictment will call Jon Husted’s central role in the bribery scandal into further question.

As a reminder, Jon Husted remains at the center of the massive scandal, with recent reporting from the Associated Press revealing Husted’s ties to be much deeper than previously known:

  • When Husted was forced to testify, his testimony showed discrepancies from public documents and reporting, only raising more questions. 
  • Husted’s FirstEnergy nightmare isn’t going away anytime soon, with the new trial set to begin September 18, 2026.
  • The massive FirstEnergy bribery scheme that Jon Husted championed delivered a billion dollar bailout to utilities and contributed to electricity costs for Ohioans increasing by $663 a year. 

Ohio Democratic Party Senior Communications Advisor Tony Wen released the following statement:

“Ohioans are calling on Jon Husted to come clean about his central role in the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history that’s costing families thousands of dollars more on their utility bills. It seems every week more details come to light about Jon Husted’s deep ties to this massive corruption scheme. Ohioans deserve accountability and answers about how deep his involvement goes.”

READ MORE: 

Cleveland.com: New charges against ex-FirstEnergy executives could reshape second corruption trial

  • New criminal charges filed this week against two former FirstEnergy executives could dramatically change how prosecutors present one of Ohio’s largest public corruption scandals in an expected second trial.
  • Former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and the utility giant’s former top lobbyist, Michael Dowling, still face accusations that they bribed Sam Randazzo just before he became chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
  • But a new indictment unsealed Thursday broadens the case, accusing the pair of participating in a wider scheme that also involved former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and the passage of the scandal-ridden House Bill 6, which gave FirstEnergy a $1.3 billion ratepayer bailout of two failing nuclear plants.
  • The indictment says Jones and Dowling learned during a late-2018 dinner with incoming Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted that Randazzo was being considered to lead the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

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