Ohio Republicans accused of taking $60m in bribes as corruption trial opens
By Mario Ariza for Floodlight and the Guardian
Federal prosecutors on the first day of a historic racketeering trial in Ohio alleged that top Republicans in the state accepted bribes from the power company FirstEnergy.
The trial, which is expected to last six weeks, is the latest utility scandal following cases in the last 10 years in Arizona, Louisiana, Alabama and Florida which experts say has led to higher bills for consumers, less green energy, and more CO2 emissions.
Floodlight is a nonprofit news organization that partners with local outlets and the Guardian to investigate the corporate and ideological interests holding back climate action
One of the defendants, the former Ohio house speaker Larry Householder, told reporters on Monday morning as he waited for opening statements in the US district court in Cincinnati that he had done nothing wrong and expected “redemption”.