Trending Now - Supreme Court Rejects Appeal in $60M Bribery Case Against Ex-speaker
WHO:
ABC News - Householder's attorney, Scott Pullins, stated it was “a sad day” for the Borges and Householder families and "even a sadder day for free speech and the rule of law.”
Newsweek - Larry Householder, former Ohio House Speaker; Matt Borges, ex-lobbyist.
ABC News - Larry Householder, 66 years old; Matt Borges, 53 years old; Department of Justice.
WHAT:
ABC News - Householder will return to his efforts to seek a presidential pardon, according to his attorney.
Newsweek - The Supreme Court upheld the racketeering convictions of Householder and Borges.
ABC News - Householder was sentenced to 20 years in prison for masterminding a $60 million bribery scheme.
ABC News - Borges received a five-year sentence for his role in the scheme.
WHERE:
ABC News - The case is associated with Ohio, specifically involving FirstEnergy Corp. based in Akron.
WHEN:
ABC News - The convictions were secured in March 2023.
ABC News - The Supreme Court's ruling followed a unanimous decision by a three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in May 2025.
ABC News - Borges was released to a halfway house in Cincinnati in October 2025, with a scheduled release date of November 12, 2025.
WHY:
ABC News - The scheme involved illicit funding from FirstEnergy Corp. to elect allies and secure a $1 billion bailout for two affiliated nuclear plants.
HOW:
ABC News - Pullins had previously floated the idea of Householder seeking a pardon but then backed off.
ABC News - The convictions followed a yearslong investigation and a more than six-week trial.
(UPDATED April 27, 2026 21:22 UTC)
Householder's attorney, Scott Pullins, expressed that it was “a sad day” for both the Borges and Householder families, and he emphasized that it was "even a sadder day for free speech and the rule of law." According to Pullins, Householder will resume his efforts to seek a presidential pardon, a notion he had previously mentioned but later stepped back from. This development highlights ongoing discussions surrounding Householder's legal challenges and the implications for his future.
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(UPDATED April 27, 2026 19:23 UTC)
The Supreme Court has upheld the racketeering convictions of Larry Householder, the former Ohio House Speaker, and Matt Borges, an ex-lobbyist, following a unanimous decision by a three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Householder was sentenced to 20 years in prison for masterminding a $60 million bribery scheme involving illicit funding from FirstEnergy Corp., while Borges received a five-year sentence for his role in the scheme. The case, which is tied to efforts to secure a $1 billion bailout for two affiliated nuclear plants, stemmed from a yearslong investigation and a trial that lasted more than six weeks.