"There is zero doubt in my mind that Matt from the very beginning was offering me a bribe," Fehrman said in an interview. Fehrman, who was working to collect signatures, reported Borges to the FBI. Ultimately, neither held up the anti-bailout effort.īorges also gave $15,000 to political operative Tyler Fehrman for insider intel on the effort to block the $1.3 billion nuclear bailout. More: Ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, former Ohio GOP leader Matt Borges found guiltyįirstEnergy officials and others involved in the scheme hoped Borges would influence powerful politicians, such as Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, because of his experience and relationships in Republican politics. Householder was sentenced Thursday to the maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Prosecutors say Borges made $366,000 off the scheme.
Throughout the trial, federal prosecutors outlined how secretive money flowed from Akron-based utility FirstEnergy and its allies to help elect Householder as speaker of the House, pass a $1.3 billion bailout for two nuclear plants known as House Bill 6 and defend that subsidy against a ballot initiative to block it. 'An unholy alliance' is what you called it," Black told Borges. "Larry Householder was a crook and you knew it. He entered into a corrupt scheme with his eyes wide open, Black said. "Your statement here today reached me," Black said.īut that didn't offset Borges' actions. Black said he initially didn't believe that Borges understood the impact of his decisions, calling Borges' behavior after his arrest "immature, middle-school stuff." Federal prosecutors recommended a five- to eight-year sentence while Borges' attorneys wanted a sentence of a year and a day.īorges' apology, along with the heartfelt pleas of his wife Kate, might have saved him from additional time in prison. "I should have known better."īorges, 51, of Bexley, was convicted of racketeering conspiracy in March following a seven-week federal trial. District Court Judge Timothy Black in federal court in Cincinnati. My behavior, my decisions, my poor judgment," Borges told U.S. "I'm here today for one reason and one reason only. Once a rising star in the GOP nationally, Borges was immediately taken into custody.īut unlike the ringleader of the scheme, ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, Borges expressed remorse for his actions, which included bribing a friend for insider information about a ballot initiative to block a $1.3 billion nuclear bailout. It does not store any personal data.Former Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges on Friday was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in a sweeping pay-to-play scandal at the Ohio Statehouse. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
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