A deadlocked jury in the corruption trial against two former FirstEnergy executives has been discharged by Summit County Common Pleas Judge Susan Baker Ross following a seven-week trial. The Ohio Attorney General charged former FirstEnergy CEO Charles Jones and former SVP Michael Dowling with several felonies related to an alleged $4.3 million bribe.
Steve Grimes of Winston & Strawn, one of Dowling’s attorneys, stated that the facts simply did not support criminal charges. Grimes adds: “We shouldn’t let egos get in the way of commonsense and due process; if the State were interested in doing justice, the State would drop all of its charges and let Mike Dowling get on with his life.”
The origins of the case trace back to a major corruption scandal surrounding the passage of House Bill 6 in 2019 that rocked Ohio politics. Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder is serving a 20-year sentence for overseeing a $60 million scheme to pass a billion-dollar bailout for unprofitable power plants owned by FirstEnergy; in addition, the scheme involved efforts to stifle a voter referendum to overturn the scandal-plagued law that authorized the controversial utility bailout.
In the case against Jones and Dowling, prosecutors allege that a $4.3 million payment made by the defendants to the then soon-to-be Public Utilities Commission Chair Sam Randazzo was a bribe to ensure beneficial regulatory treatment for FirstEnergy. In closing arguments, the defense maintained that the payment was, in fact, part of a legitimate settlement payment owed to the Industrial Energy Users-Ohio, a trade group that was a client of Randazzo.
Randazzo died by suicide in 2024, weeks after being charged by the Ohio Attorney General with accepting a bribe from FirstEnergy, along with allegations of stealing millions in settlement proceeds from former clients.
Jurors spent seven days deliberating over testimony from 30 witnesses and 600 exhibits presented during trial. It became clear a hung jury was likely when, on day four of deliberations, the jury asked Judge Baker Ross if they should continue deliberating “if they cannot agree” on the bribery charge against the former energy company executives.
The prosecution’s case met with some difficulties over the course of the trial. The former lead investigator for the state informed both parties that he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination if he was called as a witness. After the state rested its case, Judge Baker Ross dismissed money laundering charges against both defendants, noting a lack of evidence to support the charges.
Judge Baker Ross will consider Assistant Attorney General Matt Meyer’s motion for a mistrial, as well as pending defense motions, at a later date.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost issued a video statement saying that the state will retry the defendants because “justice needs to be done.”
Carole Rendon, an attorney for Jones, urged the state to rethink its decision to retry the case, citing a lack of sufficient evidence to support the charges. She added that if the state insists on seeking a new trial, then “we are prepared to seek a judgment of acquittal and will continue to vigorously defend Mr. Jones.”
