COLUMBUS, Ohio (WTVN)--Two of the five men charged in the bribery and racketeering scheme to get Ohio's nuclear bailout bill passed pled guilty in federal court Thursday.
Lobbyists Juan Cespedes and Jeffrey Longstreth could face up to 20 years in prison for their roles in using dark money from an Ohio energy company to get Ohio House Bill 6 passed.
That scheme also involved former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, who was charged and has pled not guilty, as well as removed from his position as House Speaker. Two other defendants have also pled not guilty.
The scheme involved getting support for the bill to add a surcharge to Ohioan's electric bills to fund the state's two nuclear power plants, and keep them from closing. a Group called, "Generation Now" also used some of the funding to defeat an effort to overturn it through a ballot initiative.
Work is now underway at the Ohio Statehouse to overturn House Bill 6. Meanwhile, Householder is still running for his seat in the Ohio House.