Graeter’s milkshakes, bribes
How political operative worked with FBI
Political operative Tyler Fehrman ordered an extra thick chocolate milkshake from Graeter’s in Worthington and waited for FBI Special Agent Blane Wetzel to arrive.
Fehrman had assumptions about what meeting with the FBI might look like: a dark, unmarked office. Perhaps a man in a suit and sunglasses. It certainly was not a bright, cheery suburban Columbus ice cream parlor and the friendly, younger man who would sit down at his table in early September 2019.
But Fehrman was already in a situation far beyond his expectations. Shortly before that meeting with the FBI, Fehrman says his mentor and friend former Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges asked him for insider information about an effort to block House Bill 6, a nuclear bailout pushed by thenohio House Speaker Larry Householder and Akron-based Firstenergy.
At the time, Fehrman was working on the anti-house Bill 6 referendum, overseeing signature collection in the Columbus area to put the issue on the ballot. That job quickly turned into long, frustrating days when Firstenergy Solutions dumped dark money into attack ads, private investigators and blockers to confuse Ohioans thinking about signing the anti-bailout petition.
Borges reached out to grab coffee with Fehrman, and the meeting turned into a pitch, Fehrman said. Borges could pay if Fehrman would provide insider information about the ballot campaign, such as where employees were collecting signatures and how many signatures they had collected.
“He wanted to know what I had outstanding debt-wise. He made it very clear that I could be taken care of and that they had taken care of him,” Fehrman said. “That initial conversation, I just remember leaving and feeling dirty and violated.”
Fehrman called a longtime friend and fellow political operative, Micah Derry. Then, he called the FBI.
That’s how Fehrman ended up at Graeter’s.
“I remember thinking it was so surreal that I literally sat down across from (Wetzel) and was like, alright, I hate to do this but can you prove to me that you’re actually an FBI agent?” Fehrman said. “He pulled out his badge and showed me and I was like, ‘OK, OK, we’re cool.’ That’s just not what I had expected.”
Two different stories about a $15,000 check
In the months that followed, Fehrman would meet Wetzel at a bagel shop and once in Fehrman’s garage, sitting on the kind of folding chairs you might bring to a kids’ soccer game. After initially rejecting Borges’ offer, Fehrman agreed to reengage with Borges, record their conversations for the FBI and accept Borges’ $15,000 check.
That check is at the heart of federal prosecutors’ case against Borges, who has pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy. The case involves an alleged pay-to-play scheme to trade Firstenergy’s money for Householder’s return to power in the Ohio House and a $1.3 billion bailout for Firstenergy Solutions’ two nuclear plants.
Borges says he gave Fehrman the $15,000 check because Fehrman was a friend in financial need, going through a messy divorce. Borges could relate because of a custody battle his loved one faced.
Borges says he checked Fehrman’s contract for non-compete and nondisclosure clauses, both of which were present, so he proposed alternative work organizing a reunion for former Gov. John Kasich staff.
Fehrman says that was a cover story. “There is zero doubt in my mind that Matt from the very beginning was offering me a bribe,” Fehrman said. “He never wanted anything else. He wanted insider information and that was a way of covering his tracks.”
Jurors will ultimately decide who is telling the truth.
After the arrests: ‘They were very brazen’
Fehrman testified Monday as the federal prosecutors’ final witness.
Fehrman now lives in St. Paul, Minnesota and works for World Kinect Energy Services, a renewable energy company. He’s a registered Democrat after campaigning for Republican politicians for years − though Fehrman says he rarely voted a straight ticket.
“It feels really good to be out,” Fehrman said.
When Householder, Borges and three others were arrested in July 2020, the FBI listed Fehrman as “confidential human source 1” or “CHS 1.” But those in Ohio politics quickly connected the dots to Fehrman. He was at the dentist’s office when his phone started exploding.
Three days after the arrests, Fehrman detailed his role in the FBI’S investigation for Cleveland.com, which published an article titled: “Meet the man who helped the FBI expose Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder’s alleged $60M bribery scheme.” Borges’ attorneys described that decision as selfpromotional and “reckless.”
As Borges awaited trial, the EX-GOP leader told several reporters his side of the story, trying to discredit Fehrman. At one point, Borges posted Fehrman’s personal information, including his Social Security number, on Borges’ legal defense fund website. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Black reprimanded Borges, who quickly removed the information and said it was a mistake.
When asked Monday night about Fehrman, Borges did not have much to say.
“Everything that I needed to say about him I’ve already said,” Borges said.
Fehrman said it was difficult not to defend himself publicly, but he waited for the trial.
It’s not yet clear what lessons Ohio politicians will take from the trial. Householder and Borges’ attorneys will mount their defenses in the coming days. The jury will decide whether this was all politics as usual or a corrupt, illegal scheme.
But Fehrman hopes that the case serves as a cautionary tale.
“You get to the point where you have enough power that you think you’re above the law and that you can just get away with anything,” Fehrman said. “They didn’t do a great job of hiding it. They were very brazen about what they did.”
After leaving the witness stand, Fehrman went to another Graeter’s, this one next to the Potter Stewart U.S. Courthouse in Cincinnati. His mother and brother joined him. He ordered another milkshake.
USA TODAY Network Ohio bureau reporters Jessie Balmert and Laura Bischoff have been following the House Bill 6 scandal since the story broke. They will continue to follow developments and the trial. Follow them on Twitter at @lbischoff and @jbalmert for updates.
The USA TODAY Network Ohio bureau serves the Akron Beacon Journal, the Columbus Dispatch, the Cincinnati Enquirer and other network news organizations across the state.
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