Generation Now Inc., incorporated in Delaware, was a 501(c)(4) organization controlled by former Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives Larry Householder.
In February 2021, Generation Now pleaded guilty to one count of participating in a more than $60 million racketeering conspiracy.
According to court documents, Generation Now was at the center of Householder and others receiving millions of dollars in exchange for specific official action. Householder and his enterprise received approximately $61 million through Generation Now from an energy company and its affiliates to pass and uphold a billion-dollar nuclear plant bailout.
Generation Now was created as a purported social welfare organization. According to the plea agreement, the actual purpose of Generation Now was for it to be used as a mechanism to receive undisclosed donations as a benefit to Householder. As part of the conspiracy, Generation Now engaged in financial transactions to conceal the source of payments made by Company A.
As part of the plea, Generation Now agrees to forfeit its assets, including nearly $1.5 million seized from organization bank accounts. The parties involved in the case have recommended a term of probation for the nonprofit of up to five years.
Details of Charges
In July 2020, the federal government announced charges against:
- Larry Householder, 61, of Glenford. Householder was charged with federal racketeering and conspiracy related to the years-long bribery scheme.
- Mathew Borges, 48, of Bexley, a lobbyist who previously served as chair of the Ohio Republican Party
- Juan Cespedes, 40, of Columbus, a multi-client lobbyist
- Neil Clark, 67, of Columbus, a lobbyist who owns and operates Grant Street Consultants and previously served as budget director for the Ohio Republican Caucus
- Jeffrey Longstreth, 44, of Columbus, Householder’s longtime campaign and political strategist
- Generation Now, which was charged with federal racketeering and conspiracy related to the scheme
Others charged are:
- FirstEnergy Corp. was charged federally with conspiring to commit honest services wire fraud
- In January 2025, Charles E. Jones, 69, of Akron, was charged with one count of participating in a racketeering (RICO) conspiracy
- In January 2025, Michael Dowling, 60, of Massillon, was charged with one count of participating in a racketeering conspiracy
Larry Householder
Larry Householder was speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives from January 2001 through December 2004, and from January 7, 2019, to July 30, 2020, when Ohio lawmakers removed him from the post.
On March 9, 2023, a federal jury convicted him. According to federal authorities, Householder and his conspirators exploited the lack of transparency in 501(c)(4) entities to bury their corrupt and complex scheme to accept nearly $61 million in bribes to pass and uphold a billion-dollar nuclear plant bailout as part of House Bill 6.
According to court documents and trial testimony, from March 2017 to March 2020, the enterprise traded millions of dollars in bribery campaign donations in exchange for Householder’s and the enterprise’s help passing House Bill 6. The defendants also worked to corruptly ensure HB 6 went into effect by defeating a ballot initiative to overturn the legislation.
In March 2017, Householder began receiving quarterly $250,000 payments from the related-energy companies into the bank account of his 501(c)(4), Generation Now. Team Householder spent millions of the company’s dollars to support Householder’s political bid to become Speaker, to support House candidates they believed would back Householder, and for their benefit.
The United States detailed that Householder spent more than half a million dollars of the dark money to pay off his credit card balances, repair his Florida home and settle a business lawsuit.
On Thursday, June 29, 2023, Householder was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison for leading a racketeering conspiracy to receive nearly $61 million in bribes to pass and uphold a billion-dollar nuclear plant bailout. After the sentencing, the court remanded Householder to the custody of the U.S. Marshals.
Mathew Borges
In June 2023, former Ohio Republican Party chair Mathew Borges, 51, of Bexley, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison.
A jury found Borges and former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, 63, of Glenford, Ohio, guilty of violating the racketeering statute. The verdict was announced on March 8 following a six-week trial.
Juan Cespedes
In October 2020, Juan Cespedes, 41, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to participating in a racketeering conspiracy.
According to federal prosecutors, Cespedes knew the payments were meant to help Householder achieve political goals, and in return, help pass and preserve the nuclear bailout legislation.
Neil Clark
Neil Clark was found dead in March 2021.
Jeffrey Longstreth
In October 2020, Jeffrey Longstreth, 44, pleaded guilty to participating in a racketeering conspiracy.
In his plea, Longstreth admits to organizing Generation Now for Householder, knowing the entity would be used to receive bribe money to further Householder’s bid for Speaker of the House. Longstreth managed Generation Now bank accounts and engaged in financial transactions designed to conceal that the energy company was a source of funding to Generation Now.
In February 2021, Longstreth signed the plea document on behalf of Generation Now. Longstreth pleaded guilty in October 2020 to an identical individual charge.
FirstEnergy Corp.
In 2021, FirstEnergy signed a deferred prosecution agreement that could potentially result in dismissal of the charge and agreed to pay a $230 million monetary penalty.
The company admitted it conspired with public officials, other individuals and entities to pay millions of dollars to public officials in exchange for official action for its benefit. It also acknowledged in the deferred prosecution agreement that it paid millions of dollars to an elected state public official through the official’s alleged 501(c)(4) in return for the official pursuing nuclear legislation for FirstEnergy Corp.’s benefit.
The company also acknowledged that it used 501(c)(4) entities, including one it controlled, to further the scheme because it allowed certain FirstEnergy Corp. executives and co-conspirators to conceal from the public the nature, source and control of payments.
FirstEnergy Corp. further acknowledged that it paid $4.3 million dollars to a second public official. In return, the individual acted in their official capacity to further First Energy Corp.’s interests related to passage of nuclear legislation and other company priorities.
Empowering Ohio
In December 2014, American Electric Power caused to be incorporated a 501(c)(4) organization in Delaware named Empower Ohio, Inc., which changed its name to Empowering Ohio’s Economy. American Electric Power provided the initial funds to establish Empowering Ohio’s bank accounts.
From December 2014 to July 2020, American Electric Power was Empowering Ohio’s sole source of funding.
This entry incorporates public domain information, including information from press releases and regulatory filings.
