Over 60 names – some familiar – are on a potential witness list for the House Bill 6 trial
By Karen Kasler
Statehouse News Bureau
COLUMBUS – More than 60 names are on the potential witness list for the state in the House Bill 6 trial of former FirstEnergy executives Chuck Jones and Michael Dowling.
Former Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chair Sam Randazzo was also facing trial for being accused of involvement in a more than $60 million bribery scheme involving state lawmakers and energy executives. Randazzo died by suspected suicide Tuesday morning, according to a spokesperson for the Franklin County Coroner’s Office. He was 74.
The list for the trial filed with the Summit County Clerk of Courts includes some people featured in the federal trial of Republican former House Speaker Larry Householder, convicted last year in the corruption scandal surrounding House Bill 6, the billion-dollar nuclear power plant bailout that benefited FirstEnergy. The list is online at: https://clerkweb.summitoh.net/PublicSite/Documents/vola00000005000084A4… and https://clerkweb.summitoh.net/PublicSite/Documents/vola0000000600000027…
The potential witness list does not include Gov. Mike DeWine or Lt. Gov. Jon Husted. But it does include top DeWine adviser Laurel Dawson, his former chief of staff, who records show knew but didn’t tell DeWine about a $4.3 million payment from FirstEnergy to Randazzo – which the state alleges is a bribe.
FirstEnergy CEO Brian Tierney, who joined the company last June, is listed, as are several former lobbyists such as Josh Rubin, who DeWine appointed as chair of JobsOhio.
Three PUCO commissioners, including chair Jenifer French, and three former commissioners, including former chair Asim Haque are on it, along with Consumers’ Counsel Maureen Willis and Legislative Inspector General Tony Bledsoe.
Also on the list are three Republican former state representatives. That trio includes former Speaker Bob Cupp, who took over after Householder was removed as speaker in 2020 following his arrest on federal charges. Juan Cespedes and Jeff Longstreth, who testified against Householder, are also on the list.
No trial date has been set.
At the time of his death, Randazzo was also facing federal corruption charges, before the same judge who presided over the Householder and Borges trials. Randazzo pleaded not guilty in December.
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