Former Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chairman Sam Randazzo is seen leaving his arraignment at the Summit County Court of Common Pleas on Feb. 13, 2024. COLUMBUS, Ohio – A prosecutor told a Summit County judge Friday that the state has reached a plea agreement “in principle” with businesses owned by Sam Randazzo, the state’s former top utility regulator who died shortly after he was charged with accepting a $4.3 million bribe from FirstEnergy Corp.
Attorneys for Randazzo told Ross on Friday that they’re motivated to get the charges resolved, although they were less certain that a final decision this week would be possible. Attorney Roger Sugarman told Ross that a hearing by Friday this week might be a bit “ambitious” and there are still “significant discussions” to be had with state prosecutors, but he didn’t rule it out.
They accused Randazzo as a private lawyer of skimming money from his client, Industrial Energy Users of Ohio, a coalition of large-scale electric buyers. FirstEnergy, via Randazzo’s companies, discreetly paid him millions of dollars in exchange for the coalition’s agreement to not oppose FirstEnergy’s request to the PUCO to collect more money from customers.
The three men denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty, holding that the $4.3 million wasn’t a bribe but the buyout fee on Randazzo’s consulting contract. Before Randazzo was arrested, he appeared before state lawmakers as PUCO chairman and was directly asked if he was paid by FirstEnergy. At the time, he said he had never worked for FirstEnergy as a lawyer or registered lobbyist, a statement that while technically true was highly misleading.