Fired FirstEnergy execs indicted in $60 million Ohio bribery scheme; regulator faces new charges

abcnews.go.com:

Scheme is related to a legislative bailout for two Ohio nuclear power plants.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Two fired FirstEnergy Corp. executives were indicted Monday in the long-running investigation into a $60 million bribery scheme in Ohio that has already resulted in a 20-year prison sentence for a former state House speaker.

Former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and former FirstEnergy Services Corp. Senior Vice President Michael Dowling were charged in relation to their alleged roles in the massive corruption case, Republican Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced in an online news conference.

“Their actions over a period of years have undermined confidence in state governments, the rule of law, and very nearly made them even richer men than they already are,” Yost said of Jones and Dowling, who are facing criminal charges for the first time since the scandal began. “There can be no justice without holding the check writers and the masterminds accountable.”

Jones and Dowling were fired in October 2020 for violating company policies and code of conduct, and — given their numerous mentions in earlier indictments and court proceedings — the lack of indictments had been notable as a 5-year statute of limitations nears.

Both pushed back forcefully Monday, denying any wrongdoing and accusing Yost of false assertions.

“For more than three years, a false and unfair narrative has surrounded Chuck Jones and other current and former employees of FirstEnergy, the company to which Mr. Jones devoted his entire 42-year career. That ends today,” his attorney Carole Rendon said in a statement. “Mr. Jones did not violate the law. He did not bribe anyone. He acted in the best interests of FirstEnergy’s customers as well as its employees and