2 Dems ask IG to get involved in federal bribery probe

COLUMBUS » A pair of Democratic state lawmakers in Ohio asked the state watchdog Thursday to investigate the involvement of several DeWine administration officials and others in a $60 million bribery scheme alleged by federal prosecutors.

A complaint filed by state Reps. Jeffrey Crossman, of Parma, and Casey Weinstein, of Hudson, said Inspector General Randall Meyer has an obligation to “determine whether wrongful acts and omissions have been committed or are being committed by state officers or state employees.”

A spokesman for Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, dismissed the request as misguided.

“These allegations are political, misleading, and not actually based on the facts of this case,” Dan Tierney said in a text message. “They have no merit.”

In their letter, Crossman and Weinstein said alleged wrongdoing by DeWine administration officials and appointees “continues to shake the faith of Ohioans in our government.”

The scandal centers on allegations that FirstEnergy Corp. paid former Republican Speaker Larry Householder to orchestrate the passage of a $1 billion bailout of two nuclear plants owned by its then-subsidiary and to squelch a repeal effort. Householder has pleaded not guilty and denies wrongdoing.

The Democrats asked Meyer to investigate four DeWine staffers: legislative director Dan McCarthy; then-chief of staff Laurel Dawson; then-policy director Michael Hall; and assistant policy director Anne Vogel. They also included former Public Utilities Commission Chair Sam Randazzo in their complaint, as well as Scott Elisar, the PUCO’s legislative and policy director.