The former CEO of FirstEnergy and a former company lobbyist face federal racketeering charges for their roles in a sprawling public corruption scandal tied to a 2019 Ohio energy law to pass a $1 billion bailout for the utility’s former nuclear plants.
Federal prosecutors Friday unsealed indictments against Chuck Jones, 69, of Akron, and Michael Dowling, 60, of Massillon, Ohio, who’s also charged with racketeering. Both pleaded not guilty in a Cincinnati courtroom hours later.
Jones, who was CEO for five years, and Dowling, a former senior vice president, are accused of engaging in bribery, money laundering and obstruction to boost FirstEnergy’s share price and enrich themselves. The charges are the latest fallout from a bribery scheme that has already sent Ohio’s former House speaker, Larry Householder, and two of his associates to prison.
The indictments are the first federal charges against FirstEnergy executives, who also face state criminal charges and civil lawsuits.
