FirstEnergy-Linked Groups Spent Over $23,000 In Campaign Contributions To Derek Merrin And Expenditures Supporting His Reelection

Merrin Received $23,616 From Sources Linked To FirstEnergy. [Ohio Secretary of State, Contributions Search, accessed 6/4/26]

[Ohio Secretary of State, Contributions Search, accessed 6/4/26]

2025: American Electric Power Agreed To Pay $19 Million In Relation To The FirstEnergy Scandal. “Today, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced that American Electric Power (AEP) will pay $19M to settle the investigation into the utility’s role in the House Bill 6 Scandal. The SEC determined AEP made the following violations of the Exchange Act: issued a misleading press release around their role in fully funding Empowering Ohio, failed to disclose transactions tied to payments to the dark money group, and failed to keep accurate books and records around the issue.” [The Ohio Environment Council, 1/17/25]

Growth And Opportunity PAC Was The Super PAC Arm For Generation Now, Where FirstEnergy Contributed $60 Million To Support Larry Householder’s Political Allies. “According to the criminal complaint against Householder and his associates, an unnamed company, identified by reporters to be FirstEnergy, contributed $60 million to Generation Now over a roughly three-year period. Among other things, Generation Now used the money to support the election of candidates who would assist Householder in his efforts to reclaim the speakership of the Ohio House and who would subsequently support the nuclear bailout bill. The complaint alleges that $500,000 was also converted for Householder’s personal use through Generation Now and other entities. In 2018, Generation Now pursued its political spending mission through a linked super PAC. That year, the nonprofit contributed $1.05 million to a federal super PAC, Growth and Opportunity PAC.” [CREW, 7/24/20]

Calfee Halter & Griswold Had The Same Address As FirstEnergy-Linked Dark Money Group Partner For Progress, Which Was Run By Current Calfee Partner Mike Vanburen. “At the center of the bribery scheme is the dark money group Partners for Progress, which FirstEnergy admits was created and funded to conceal the bribes. IRS filings show the group operated at the same address as Cleveland law firm Calfee, Halter & Griswold on East 6th Street downtown, and according to internal First Energy documents, Partners for Progress was run by current Calfee partner Mike VanBuren.” [WKYC, 4/23/24]

FirstEnergy Paid Former Ohio House Speaker Householder $60 Million To Pass A $1.3 Billion Bailout For Two Of Their Nuclear Power Plants, A Crime For Which Householder Was Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison FirstEnergy Paid Former Ohio House Speaker Householder $60 Million To Pass A $1.3 Billion Bailout For Two Of Their Nuclear Power Plants

Householder Accepted $60 Million From FirstEnergy In Exchange For Passing A $1.3 Billion Bailout For Two Of FirstEnergy’s Nuclear Power Plants. “The former speaker, Larry L. Householder, was convicted in March of racketeering and bribery for accepting some $60 million from a major utility holding company, FirstEnergy Corporation, in exchange for arranging a $1.3 billion bailout for two troubled nuclear power plants the company operates.” [New York Times, 6/29/23]

FirstEnergy Gave Householder Money To Regain The Speaker’s Post In Exchange For Housholder Pushing Legislation To Bail Out FirstEnergy’s Nuclear Plants. “Over several days of socializing at high-end restaurants, prosecutors said, they discussed a deal: Mr. Householder needed money to regain the speaker’s post when its occupant left office in 2018. The company needed a legislative solution to its nuclear power woes. What began with a handshake became a multimillion-dollar political operation, with the money laundered through nonprofit groups allowed by the tax code to conceal donors’ names.” [New York Times, 6/29/23]

2023: Householder Was Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison

June 2023: Householder Was Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison For The Scandal. “Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, 64, of Glenford, Ohio, was sentenced in federal court here today to 240 months in prison for leading a racketeering conspiracy to receive nearly $61 million in bribes to pass and uphold a billion-dollar nuclear plant bailout. The Court remanded Householder to the custody of the U.S. Marshals at the conclusion of sentencing.” [Department of Justice, 6/29/23]

2019: Merrin Voted For Householder For House Speaker And For The FirstEnergy Nuclear Bailout Legislation

January 2019: Merrin Voted For Householder For House Speaker

January 2019: Merrin Voted For Householder For House Speaker. “Merrin voted for Larry Householder to become speaker in January 2019 over then-Speaker Ryan Smith. Later that year, he voted for H.B. 6, the controversial energy law that federal prosecutors say that Householder passed with the help of $60 million in bribes from FirstEnergy, the Akron-based utility that stood to profit from the law. Last year, Merrin opposed the House's vote to expel Householder, who goes on trial next January for a federal corruption charge.” [Cleveland.com, 11/23/22]

July 2019: Merrin Voted For The FirstEnergy Nuclear Bailout Legislation

July 2019: Merrin Voted For H.B. 6. [Ohio Legislature, H.B. 6, 7/23/19]

H.B. 6 Was The Legislation To Bail out FirstEnergy Nuclear Plants. “And so it went: At least $3 million spent in 2018 to elect Republicans backing Mr. Householder’s speaker ambitions. Nearly $17 million more in 2019 on a successful media campaign supporting H.B. 6, the legislation bailing out FirstEnergy nuclear plants.” [New York Times, 6/29/23]

2016-2019: Merrin Benefitted From The Support Of Householder And FirstEnergy As They Worked To Have Householder Regain Speakership And Pass The Nuclear Bailout Law

2018: Householder Supported The Candidacy Of 21 House Republicans, Including Merrin, So They Would Support Him As Speaker Of The House

2018: Householder Supported The Candidacy Of 21 Republicans In The State House To Support His Speaker Campaign And Pass The Nuclear Bailout Law. “After returning to the legislature in 2016, Mr.

Householder secretly spent millions in 2018 to support Republican candidates for 21 seats in the State House — more than a fifth of the 99 seats — who would back his insurgent campaign to again become House speaker. He spent more millions on a media campaign to push the nuclear bailout law to passage, and then tens of millions on a scorched-earth crusade to undermine a ballot initiative that threatened to undo it.” [New York Times, 6/29/23]

• 2018: Householder Was Merrin’s Largest Campaign Donor, Donating $7,708 To His Campaign. “On the Republican side, Rep. Derek Merrin, of Monclova Township, is running against primary challenger Barbara Lang in the 47th District consisting of Lucas County's western suburbs and most of Fulton County. Mr. Merrin raised $47,673 with his largest contributions coming on behalf of House Speaker candidate Larry Householder (R., Glenford), whose campaign donated $7,708.” [Toledo Blade, 4/26/18; Ohio Secretary of State, Friends of Derek Merrin Contributions, accessed 2/5/24]

2016-2019: Merrin Received Significant Campaign Donations And A Gift From Householder And Campaign Donations From FirstEnergy PAC

2016-2017: Merrin Accepted $1,500 From FirstEnergy PAC. [Ohio Secretary of State, Friends of Derek Merrin Contributions, accessed 2/5/24]

[Ohio Secretary of State, Friends of Derek Merrin Contributions, accessed 2/5/24]

• 2018-2022: Merrin Did Not Return Campaign Contributions From FirstEnergy PAC. [Ohio Secretary of State, Friends of Derek Merrin Expenditures, accessed 2/5/24]

2019: Merrin Received A Gift From “Friends Of Householder.” [Ohio Joint Legislative Ethics Committee, Derek Merrin 2019 Addendum #1, filed 2/18/20]

2018: Householder Was Merrin’s Largest Campaign Donor, Donating $7,708 To His Campaign. “On the Republican side, Rep. Derek Merrin, of Monclova Township, is running against primary challenger Barbara Lang in the 47th District consisting of Lucas County's western suburbs and most of Fulton County. Mr. Merrin raised $47,673 with his largest contributions coming on behalf of House Speaker candidate Larry Householder (R., Glenford), whose campaign donated $7,708.” [Toledo Blade, 4/26/18; Ohio Secretary of State, Friends of Derek Merrin Contributions, accessed 2/5/24]