Ohio judge orders freeze on former PUCO chair’s assets
(The Center Square) – An Ohio judged has ordered the seizure of up to $8 million in assets from former Public Utility Commission of Ohio Chair Sam Randazzo less than two weeks after Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost added the former public official as a defendant in a racketeering lawsuit.
Yost asked the court to freeze Randazzo’s assets and stop future transfers or property sales, saying Randazzo transferred a $500,000 home to his son and sold four other properties worth a combined $4.8 million.
“FirstEnergy admitted to bribing Randazzo to the tune of $4.3 million to help construct House Bill 6, and he should be accountable for those actions,” Yost said. “Randazzo is making moves that will make it harder to hold him financially accountable for accepting bribes. As the federal investigation continues, we need to make sure that his assets are available for recovery when his time comes to pay up.”
Three of the properties, according to Yost, are in Ohio. The home transferred to his son is in Columbus, while another was in Grandview and the third in Cuyahoga Falls. Yost also said Randazzo sold two Naples, Florida, properties – one for $615,950 and another for $3.9 million.
Randazzo, along with fired FirstEnergy CEO Charles Jones and former senior vice president Michael Dowling, are now defendants in Yost’s lawsuit. Yost said the lawsuit seeks to recover a $4.3 million bribe FirstEnergy admitted it paid to Randazzo to help construct House Bill 6 while serving as a FirstEnergy regulator.
Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Randazzo to head the PUCO in 2019. Court documents show Randazzo helped draft House Bill 6, the billion-dollar nuclear bailout bill that led to the indictment and ouster of former Ohio Speaker of the House Larry Householder.
Randazzo resigned in November after FBI agents raided his Columbus home the same day FirstEnergy admitted the payment.
Yost’s amended lawsuit adds allegations Randazzo and the FirstEnergy executives engaged in extortion, money laundering, coercion, intimidation and an attempted coverup.
FirstEnergy, based in Akron, admitted it conspired with public officials and others to pay millions of dollars to public officials in exchange for specific official action to help FirstEnergy.
It also admitted it paid millions to an elected state public official through the official’s nonprofit in return for the official pursuing nuclear legislation to FirstEnergy’s benefit.
Householder, who was expelled from the Ohio House in June, has pleaded not guilty and maintains his innocence.
FirstEnergy faces charges of conspiring to commit honest services wire fraud, but those charges could be dropped if it continues to cooperate with prosecutors.
Householder, along with four co-conspirators, were charged a year ago. Three of the six entities have pleaded guilty.
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