Rep. Larry Householder (R-72-Glenford) accepted campaign contributions over the legal limit in 2019 and 2020, according to an examination of campaign finance reports, said Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose on Friday.
The contributions, discovered during a routine examination of campaign finance reports, total a little more than $32,000 and were made between March 11, 2019, and January 15, 2020.
Householder, the former speaker of the house for the Ohio legislature, was arrested in July of 2020 for allegedly participating in a $60 million bribery scheme. He was arrested along with Matt Borges, the former Ohio Republican Party chairman; Jeffrey Longstreth, a longtime political strategist for Householder; Neil Clark, the former budget director for the Ohio Republican Caucus; and Juan Cespedes, a Columbus lobbyist. The men allegedly worked to ensure the passage of HB 6, which provided a bailout to Ohio’s nuclear power plant.
Cespedes was among the contributors who exceeded donation limits. He contributed $1,000 in June of 2019 and more than $13,000 in November of 2019 for an excess contribution of nearly $1,000.
“The hits just keep on coming,” LaRose said in a statement on Friday. “These alleged repeated violations by Rep. Householder aren’t just a violation of state law, it’s a direct insult against the people of his district and the people of Ohio. Make no mistake, my team will remain vigilant in our reviews of all campaign finance records, no matter who you are.”
LaRose also announced that he was withdrawing allegations against Ohio House Republican Caucus/House Republican Campaign Committee; its treasurer, J. Matthew Yuskewich; “Representative 3”; Campaign Committee for “Representative 3”; and the Treasurer for the Campaign Committee of “Representative 3” after a review revealed that they had made PAC contributions, which are allowed, rather than corporate ones, which are not.
Read LaRose’s full letter to the Election Commission here.
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Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Ohio Star. Follow her on Twitter at @JordynPair.
