Gov. Mike DeWine says he knew nothing about Randazzo acts, will donate FirstEnergy contributions
Gov. Mike DeWine said he was unaware of any improper acts committed by his Public Utilities Commission of Ohio chairman Sam Randazzo.
Randazzo has not been charged with any crime, but details from Akron-based FirstEnergy's deferred prosecution agreement allege the company paid Randazzo $4.3 million to work on their behalf.
"If, as stated in the court documents, Sam Randazzo committed acts to improperly benefit First Energy, his motives were not known by me or my staff," DeWine said in a statement.
DeWine said he knew Randazzo had worked for FirstEnergy when he appointed him. "Sam Randazzo was a well-known subject-matter expert in energy issues."
Besides selecting Randazzo, DeWine also signed House Bill 6 into law on the day it hit his desk. The law included a $1 billion bailout for FirstEnergy Solutions' two nuclear plants in northern Ohio.
DeWine said he would donate all FirstEnergy contributions to his campaign to the Boys and Girls Clubs. DeWine's campaign is determining the exact amount.
DeWine and his relatives also benefitted from dark money that FirstEnergy spent in recent campaigns. FirstEnergy's dark money group Partners for Progress donated $300,000 in 2019 to Securing Ohio’s Future, a dark money nonprofit that backed DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted's 2018 gubernatorial bid.
Protecting Ohio Inc., which backed Alice DeWine's failed prosecutor bid in Greene County, was funded by two donations in 2019: $100,500 from Securing Ohio's Future and $75,000 from Partners for Progress.
Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Akron Beacon Journal, Cincinnati Enquirer, Columbus Dispatch and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.