Welcome to Week 5 of the FirstEnergy trial in Akron, where prosecutors aim to prove two former executives bribed the former state utility regulator.
FirstEnergy as a company admitted five years ago to bribing both then state House Speaker Larry Householder and PUCO chief Sam Randazzo. But ex-CEO Chuck Jones and ex-lobbyist Michael Dowling say the $4.3 million was a payment to settle a consulting contract, not a bribe.
For more than a month, prosecutors and defense attorneys have sparred over Randazzo’s motivations, decisions and his relationship with FirstEnergy, reports Adam Ferrise, who has sat in on the trial every day. But Randazzo died by suicide in 2024…