In a settlement that has raised eyebrows across Ohio, Attorney General Dave Yost has closed the book on what has been dubbed the state's largest bribery and money laundering controversy. This agreement with Akron-based utility giant FirstEnergy amounts to $20 million, a figure which represents less than one-third of the more than $61 million in bribes the company is said to have paid out. The settlement is notably slim when placed against the backdrop of the substantial gains Ohio utilities have secured from state residents, all stemming from the same tainted legislation these bribes helped enact, as reported by the Ohio Capital Journal.
Interestingly, despite the habitual nature of Yost's office in issuing press statements, there has been a conspicuous silence regarding Monday’s settlement details. Instead, the public was first apprised of the development through an SEC filing by FirstEnergy, noted by the Cleveland Scene. In efforts to quell concerns over potential political bias influencing the settlement decision, Yost's office stated that the Attorney General had "voluntarily walled himself off from the case months ago," though without expounding how this was achieved.
The details of the settlement include FirstEnergy's cooperation in the prosecution of two former senior executives, as well as its involvement in civil proceedings related to the infamous bailout bill. "The non-prosecution agreement signed between FirstEnergy, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, and the Office of the Summit County Prosecuting Attorney requires FirstEnergy to provide evidence, access to witnesses, and testimony in the ongoing criminal cases against (former CEO) Chuck Jones and (former Vice President) Michael Dowling, as well as in civil proceeding relating to the passage of" the corrupt bailout bill, spokesman Steve Irwin explained in an email obtained by the Ohio Capital Journal.
Yet, the modest size of the settlement rings hollow for many who recall the scandal’s scope, and when Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Attorney General Dave Yost presided over questions regarding a civil suit filed in connection to the HB 6 FirstEnergy bailout scandal, as reported by News5Cleveland. Echoing concerns is the absence of further clarification from Yost's office, content on previous dealings with the press, leaving unsaid how truly insulated the Attorney General was from the case at hand after having distanced himself from it.
