Ex-PUCO chairman Sam Randazzo accused in FirstEnergy bribery scheme has died

Former Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chairman Sam Randazzo, who was facing criminal charges over a bribery scandal, has died by suspected suicide.

A spokesman for the Franklin County Coroner said Randazzo was found shortly before noon Tuesday in a Columbus warehouse that he owned.

Randazzo, 74, of Columbus, was recently accused of accepting $4.3 million from Akron-based FirstEnergy to help the company with a $1 billion bailout for two nuclear plants and regulation that would have cost the company money. He was also accused of embezzling from his clients. He had pleaded not guilty to charges in state and federal court.

A spokesman for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said the governor's office had no comment on Randazzo's death on Tuesday.

Randazzo is the second man accused of crimes in the House Bill 6 case to die by suicide. Long-time lobbyist Neil Clark shot himself in Florida while awaiting trial in federal court. Clark, who was wearing a DeWine for governor T-shirt, had pleaded not guilty.

Randazzo's attorneys asked that their client be excused from wearing a GPS monitor in mid-March.

Randazzo's attorney did not disclose the medical reason behind the request. But the Ohio Attorney General's Office wrote that "a mental health professional has opined that the GPS monitor that Randazzo is required to wear as a condition of his bond has negative health consequences for Randazzo." The judge had not ruled on the bond modification request.

Who was Sam Randazzo?

Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Randazzo to lead the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio in February 2019. Before that, he served as an attorney in the utility sphere. He represented large industrial energy users. He had a reputation as a sharp lawyer with deep expertise in energy policies.

The PUCO regulates telecom, natural gas and electric companies. The chairman has one vote but helps guide the commission.

FirstEnergy quietly pitched Randazzo for the PUCO job. Text messages show Randazzo had a chummy relationship with FirstEnergy executives.

And Randazzo went on to advocate for House Bill 6, which would've provided a $1.3 billion bailout to help FirstEnergy and other utilities. DeWine signed HB 6 into law in July 2019.

Randazzo's condo was searched by the FBI in November 2020 and he resigned shortly after.

In July 2020, FirstEnergy signed a deferred prosecution agreement in which it agreed to pay a $230 million fine and cooperate with prosecutors. The company admitted in the agreement that it bribed Randazzo and former Ohio House speaker Larry Householder.

A federal jury convicted Householder and former Ohio GOP chairman Matt Borges of racketeering conspiracy. Householder is now serving 20 years and Borges five years in federal prison.

Laura Bischoff and Jessie Balmert are reporters for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ex-PUCO chairman Sam Randazzo accused in FirstEnergy scheme has died