FBI searches office of ex-House speaker

Federal authorities executed a search warrant in the office of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder.

COLUMBUS » Federal authorities came away with a photograph, a phone and a calendar after they executed a search warrant Friday in the Statehouse office of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder.

The FBI search for Householder’s personal belongings was carried out a day after the chamber he formerly led voted to strip him of his leadership role.

Lawmakers elected GOP Rep. Bob Cupp, a former state Supreme Court justice, to replace him. Householder remains a state lawmaker.

Householder, a Republican, has been implicated in a $60 million bribery scheme. He’s accused of shepherding energy company money for personal and political use in exchange for passing a legislative bailout of two aging nuclear plants. Householder hasn’t entered a plea to a criminal charge and his attorney has declined comment.

Republicans who control the House say they cooperated with the search “as part of our effort to restore integrity and trust to the House.”

The search warrant covered six boxes and four envelopes containing Householder personal items. It also authorized agents to press the fingers of anyone in the office to open electronic devices like phones or tablets.

Items taken during the search include a framed photo of a nuclear plant, nine folders containing papers, an iPhone and a paper calendar, among several items, according to an FBI document of items that were seized.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Ohio House Speaker Pro Tempore Jim Butler presides over a House session as members of the Ohio House of Representatives vote to remove Rep. Larry Householder as Speaker of the House on July 30, at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. The Ohio House has ousted its Republican speaker as the chamber’s top leader in a historic, unanimous and bipartisan vote after he was charged in an alleged $60 million bribery scheme.