Ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, ex-Ohio GOP Chair Matt Borges appeal convictions

Ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and former Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges are officially appealing their convictions in the statehouse's largest bribery scandal.

Householder, 64, of Glenford, was convicted earlier this year of orchestrating a nearly $60 million bribery scandal that helped him return to power, pass a $1.3 billion bailout for nuclear plants and defend that law known as House Bill 6 against a ballot initiative to block it.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Black sentenced Householder to the maximum penalty for racketeering conspiracy: 20 years in prison.

“Bottom line: You were a bully with a lust for power who thought he was above everyone else," Black said at sentencing in June.

Borges, 51, of Bexley, participated in the final stages of the scheme by paying for insider information about the ballot initiative to block the bailout, the jury found. Black sentenced Borges to five years in prison, citing Borges' contrition and smaller role.

Householder and Borges are currently at the Butler County Jail awaiting a more permanent location within the federal prison system.

Throughout the seven-week trial, Householder's attorneys raised objections about how the case was handled. Lawyer Mark Marein, in particular, accused Black of bias against Householder dating back to the judge's 2000 Ohio Supreme Court bid. They also expressed concerns about the inclusion of secretly recorded conversations with ex-lobbyist Neil Clark, who died in March 2021.

Wednesday's filings do not outline the legal arguments attorneys will make to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Borges is represented by a new attorney for his appeal: Columbus-based Dennis Belli.

Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder appeals corruption conviction