After Householder conviction, federal prosecutors say Ohio corruption case isn't over

After federal prosecutors' big win in the case against former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Kenneth Parker says the case isn't over.

Parker is mum about who else might face criminal charges or when indictments might be coming.

But the developments in the case so far have been dramatic:

• Jurors found Householder and former Ohio Republican Party chairman Matt Borges guilty of racketeering conspiracy.

• U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Black sentenced Householder to the maximum 20 years in prison and gave Borges five years in prison. He ordered both to be taken into immediate custody.

• Two other co-defendants pleaded guilty and a fifth died by suicide before trial.

• FirstEnergy Corp. admitted it paid bribes to Householder and former Public Utilities Commission of Ohio chairman Sam Randazzo, agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors and paid a $230 million fine.

• FirstEnergy fired a trio of top executives and dramatically changed its board of directors.

It makes sense that Parker doesn't want to publicly discuss his next move. Publicity could hinder investigators and prosecutors. Information shared with the grand jury is supposed to be secret.

In an exclusive interview with the USA TODAY Network Ohio bureau, Parker made it clear that his team is still working on the case.

It took federal prosecutors two-and-a-half years to bring Householder and Borges to trial. Parker wouldn't say if the next phase of the case − if there is one − would take that long.

Who is Ken Parker? He never wanted to do criminal law. Now he's the top prosecutor for Southern Ohio

In public documents and in trial testimony and evidence, FirstEnergy and Energy Harbor executives and former executives have been identified as co-conspirators in the bribery scheme that traded political power for a $1.3 billion bailout for the utilities known as House Bill 6.

In its deferred prosecution agreement, FirstEnergy acknowledged that it bribed Householder and Randazzo.

Randazzo has publicly denied any wrongdoing. He resigned as PUCO chairman shortly after FBI agents searched his Columbus condo. Likewise, former FirstEnergy executives Chuck Jones and Mike Dowling have denied wrongdoing. None of them have been charged with any crimes.

Householder testimony: 'A Matlock moment'

Parker said he was delighted when Householder took the witness stand.

"Nothing like getting a 'Matlock' moment at a trial," Parker said. Parker describes it as a moment when the prosecutors use the evidence to show the jury all the inconsistencies in the witness' testimony.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Glatfelter, the lead prosecutor on the case, used the opportunity to "shred" Householder's testimony, he said.

"I was thrilled," Parker said. "I've had the opportunity in my career to cross examine defendants and when they take the stand you licked your chops."

What did Parker think of the 20-year sentence?

Parker sat in the back row when Judge Timothy Black sentenced Householder to the maximum 20 years in prison and order him to be taken into immediate custody − a dramatic moment to end years of work by prosecutors.

But Parker insists it didn't bring him personal satisfaction. He said the sentence meets the goal of being sufficient but not greater than necessary.

"I felt good for the prosecutors in the case because they have put in so much work," he said of his team. So, I knew that it would give them a chance to move on to another part of the matter that they're working on."

What impact will this have on Ohio politics?

Parker said the case sends a message to Ohio politicians that federal prosecutors and law enforcement officials are willing to put in the work needed to root out corruption.

He said public corruption remains a high priority for his office.

Parker noted that Householder and Chinese spy Yanjun Xu both got sentenced to 20 years in prison and both presented a grave threat to democracy.

In November 2021, a federal jury found Yanjun Xu, 41, guilty on all counts including conspiring to and attempting to commit economic espionage and stealing trade secrets.

"When you look at those two cases, he and Xu are sitting there looking at the same amount of time because their actions brought a threat to the very foundation of our country," Parker said. "I hope that's the message that goes out. You may be sitting in a statehouse somewhere but don't think you are any different than a person who's a state sanctioned actor trying to conduct espionage against the United States."

Laura Bischoff 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.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: U.S. Attorney Ken Parker talks about Householder case and what's next.