The Ohio Attorney General's Office and the Summit County Prosecutor's Office announced that a grand jury has reindicted Charles "Chuck" Jones, the former CEO of FirstEnergy, and Michael Dowling, the company's former senior vice president, on public corruption charges.
Jones is charged with the following:
- One count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity (F1)
- Two counts of telecommunications fraud (F1)
- One count of conspiracy (F2)
- One count of bribery (F3)
- One count of tampering with evidence (F3)
- Two counts of obstructing justice (F5)
Dowling is charged with:
- One count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity (F1)
- Two counts of telecommunications fraud (F1)
- One count of conspiracy (F2)
- One count of bribery (F3)
- 14 counts of tampering with records (F3)
"The roots of this complex case haven’t changed – FirstEnergy was hijacked by two scheming executives who sought to control the regulator that influenced the company’s stock prices. I’m confident that Ohio’s ratepayers will get justice when the facts are unearthed in the courtroom," Attorney General Dave Yost said in a news release.
According to the attorney general's office, Jones and Dowling are accused of carrying out a "large-scale covert scheme to bribe state officials and illegally advance FirstEnergy’s financial interests alongside their own. The defendants are accused of working in concert to 'steal the power of government and bend it to the will of FirstEnergy' and concealing the scheme through false ethics disclosures."
The reindictment was handed down by a Summit County grand jury following a mistrial that ended in March.
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“Manipulating the system for personal gain is a violation of the public’s trust. We will continue to work with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office to prosecute these alleged crimes and ensure justice is served for all Ohio communities,” said Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich.
