CINCINNATI — Lawyers for the prosecution and defense both presented their closing arguments Tuesday, wrapping up six weeks worth of testimony and evidence in the federal corruption trial of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and former Ohio GOP Chairman Matt Borges.
Prosecutors didn’t mince words when they addressed the jury, saying Householder is guilty of bribery, and that Borges “knew about the corrupt bargain and he wanted in.”
The two are accused of personally benefiting from Generation Now, a 501(c)(4), otherwise known as a dark money group that was overwhelmingly funded by FirstEnergy. They told jurors the set-up was intentionally complicated to cover up where the money was coming from and who was controlling how it was spent.
Prosecutors laid out the roles of the five men charged. They said Householder and Borges used the money to benefit themselves and help elect other Ohio House lawmakers who would support Householder in his bid to be re-elected house speaker. In exchange, the government said the two were among those who helped push and protect legislation that bailed out two of FirstEnergy’s nuclear power plants in Ohio. Juan Cespedes, a former FirstEnergy lobbyist, and Jeffrey Longstreth, a Republican strategist who worked with Householder, both pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal. Neil Clark, a lobbyist and Householder adviser, died by suicide in 2021. The government’s lawyers said they all answered to Householder.
Going over their allotted time to speak, prosecutors told jurors that Householder’s testimony wasn’t consistent with the evidence; that he didn’t tell the truth about a trip to Washington, D.C. in 2017, and that he was at a dinner with FirstEnergy executives when he testified he was in his hotel room. They said he had something to hide because it was evidence of his corruption.
After lunch, Householder’s defense team addressed jurors with a simple premise: that the theory that their client was bribed simply wasn’t true. They said he supported the nuclear bailout legislation because it was good policy and good for Ohioans. They then went into great detail about events and meetings and questioned dates that prosecutors alleged Householder met with FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones, saying cell phone records and bank statements never put Jones in D.C. on the day prosecutors say he was there with Householder, allegedly to pave the way for the pay-to-play scheme he’s accused of helping orchestrate.
Householder’s lawyers also questioned the credibility of Longstreth and Cespedes, who testified for the prosecution. They suggested perhaps Longstreth was mistaken about the exact date he said he dinner with Jones and Householder in D.C. They also said Cespedes’ testimony suggested other people were involved that the government didn’t question, and that he only testified to avoid prison time.
Borges’ attorneys were more brief. They said their client didn’t engage in racketeering conspiracy, the crime in which he is charged. The said Borges was an outsider, wasn’t on “Team Householder,” a term used to describe those working to get the then-representative re-elected as house speaker, and rattled off a list of meetings and places brought up in the trial, in which Borges was not in attendance.
Rebuttals will begin Wednesday morning inside the Potter Stewart U.S. Courthouse in Cincinnati. Deliberations are expected to begin once rebuttals conclude. Both Householder and Borges have pleaded not guilty. They face up to 20 years in prison if they’re convicted.