Crime

Former NE Ohio FirstEnergy executives re-indicted on public corruption charges

By Staff Report

Two former FirstEnergy executives have been re-indicted for their alleged roles in the House Bill 6 scandal involving the Akron-based electric utility, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich recently announced.

“The roots of this complex case haven’t changed – FirstEnergy was hijacked by two scheming executives who sought to control the regulator that influenced the company’s stock prices,” Yost said. “I’m confident that Ohio’s ratepayers will get justice when the facts are unearthed in the courtroom.”

A Summit County grand jury charged Charles “Chuck” Jones, former CEO of FirstEnergy, and Michael Dowling, the company’s former senior vice president of external affairs, with a combined 22 felony counts. Five of the charges name both defendants.

“Manipulating the system for personal gain is a violation of the public’s trust,” Kolkovich said. “We will continue to work with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office to prosecute these alleged crimes and ensure justice is served for all Ohio communities.”

Jones was indicted on eight counts:

  • One count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity (F1)
  • Two counts of telecommunications fraud (F1)
  • One count of conspiracy (F2)
  • One count of bribery (F3)
  • One count of tampering with evidence (F3)
  • Two counts of obstructing justice (F5)

Dowling was indicted on 19 counts:

  • One count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity (F1)
  • Two counts of telecommunications fraud (F1)
  • One count of conspiracy (F2)
  • One count of bribery (F3)
  • 14 counts of tampering with records (F3)

The indictment maintains that between 2010 and 2021, the defendants – as part of a criminal enterprise – carried out a large-scale covert scheme to bribe state officials and illegally advance FirstEnergy’s financial interests alongside their own. The defendants are accused of working in concert to “steal the power of government and bend it to the will of FirstEnergy” and concealing the scheme through false ethics disclosures.

The re-indictment follows a two-month trial that ended in a mistrial in March due to a deadlocked jury. Jones and Dowling were originally indicted in February 2024, along with Samuel “Sam” Randazzo, former chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. Randazzo died by suicide before the trial.

The case was investigated by a task force established under the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission at the request of the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office. The Attorney General’s Office is prosecuting the case along with the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office.

Indictments are criminal allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proved guilty in a court of law.