Ohio House Bill 6 corruption case: Who is Chuck Jones?

Akron native Charles Jones was so pumped about Ohio's nuclear bailout bill passing in 2019 that he sent a photoshopped image of faces on Mount Rushmore, including the state's top utility regulator, with a caption that read: “HB 6 F*** ANYBODY WHO AINT US.”

At a news conference on Monday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced criminal charges against Jones for his role in the House Bill 6 scandal, which he described as the "hostile capture" of state government.

Jones is facing bribery, telecommunications fraud, money laundering and theft charges.

In July 2020, FBI agents arrested five men in a public corruption case involving FirstEnergy funneling $60 million in bribes through dark money groups to pass and defend House Bill 6.

House Bill 6 scandal: Ohio AG announces indictments for ex-FirstEnergy execs, Randazz

Since then, FirstEnergy fired Jones and two other top executives, signed a deferred prosecution agreement in which it admitted paying bribes and identified Jones and former company lobbyist Mike Dowling as the architects of the scheme.

In June 2023, former Ohio House speaker Larry Householder and former Ohio GOP chairman Matt Borges were sentenced to 20 years and five years, respectively, in federal prison for their roles in the pay-to-play scandal.

Householder was in frequent contact with Jones as the nuclear bailout in House Bill 6 passed the Ohio Legislature.

FirstEnergy's fingerprints were all over House Bill 6.

• FirstEnergy lobbyists crafted language for an "Ohio Clean Air Credit Program" in December 2018 − four months before two lawmakers introduced House Bill 6 to create a similarly named program.

• Jones asked Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to advocate for more money for the nuclear plants as the bill worked its way through the Ohio Senate.

• Jones also asked Householder to increase the money for nuclear plants by extending the bailout to 10 years rather than six.

• Jones texted Householder as the House passed House Bill 6: "Leadership matters. Ryan Smith is a (expletive) and embarrassing himself."

• Householder texted Jones on June 23, 2019, saying Gov. Mike DeWine should be more vocal in his support for House Bill 6. "DeW should use the situation to LEAD," Householder said. "I will work on it," Jones responded.

Who is former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones?

Jones joined a FirstEnergy Corp. subsidiary as a college engineering intern and later climbed the corporate ladder to chief executive in January 2015. He replaced Tony Alexander, who retired.

In 2019, Jones' compensation totaled $20.8 million, according to FirstEnergy filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company is trying to recoup $56 million paid to Jones, according to its filings with the SEC.

In an interview in March 2105 with the Beacon Journal, Jones said he believed in transparent communications.

"As long as you're diligent and you tell the truth, it's worked for me my whole life. I'm not going to change," he said.

During his tenure as chief executive, Jones pushed to return FirstEnergy to its traditional regulated roots and to keep its two nuclear power plants operating. He engineered placing FirstEnergy Solutions, the company's generating arm, into bankruptcy in March 2018.

FirstEnergy Solutions emerged from bankruptcy in 2020 as an independent company named Energy Harbor. Federal regulators are now reviewing a plan to sell Energy Harbor to Vistra for $6.3 billion.

Chuck Jones' Akron roots start in Ellet

Jones grew up in Akron's Ellet neighborhood, the second of four boys. He played football, baseball and basketball and was named an All-City basketball player. He recalled riding his bicycle down Derby Downs, the hilly site of the All-American Soap Box Derby that FirstEnergy now sponsors.

Jones entered the U.S. Naval Academy to study electrical engineering and pursue a childhood dream of becoming a pilot. Poor eyesight kept him from becoming a pilot. He left the academy for the University of Akron and joined a co-op program at Ohio Edison.

Jones was an active cheerleader for his hometown of Akron. He had the utility sponsor the All-American Soap Box Derby that's held annually in the city and, in 2015, agreed to a lease extension to keep the utility's headquarters in downtown Akron through June 2025.

Jones also led negotiations for a $102 million deal with Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam to rename the Brown's home FirstEnergy Stadium. Following the House Bill 6 scandal and Householder's conviction, the team and FirstEnergy decided it was time to move on. The stadium reverted to its old name: Cleveland Browns Stadium.

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. Retired Akron Beacon Journal reporter Jim MacKinnon contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Chuck Jones, ex-FirstEnergy CEO, indicted in HB 6 scandal. Who is he?