Judge grants another delay in getting answers in House Bill 6 case – The Columbus Dispatch

U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Alan Koschik on Tuesday gave Akron-based Energy Harbor athree-month delay in filing documents that detail how four hired guns intervened in Ohio Statehouse politics and House Bill 6.

More: No answers yet from Energy Harbor attorneys, another delay requested

Last year, Koschik told four men at Akin Gump StraussHauer & Feld to give him answers about their involvement in legislative races and getting the energy bill passed. Energy Harbor hired Akin Gump, an international law firm, to help with its bankruptcy and lobbying efforts.In January, Koschik agreed to a six-month delay to getting answers.

More: Selling out in the Statehouse

Energy Harbor attorney Jonathan Streeter on Tuesday told Koschik that themen completedthe "declarations" but making those statements public while Energy Harbor cooperates with federal prosecutors would be detrimental. Energy Harbor needs more time to cooperate with federal prosecutors in secret, he argued.

Energy Harbor, formerly known as FirstEnergy Solutions and owner of two nuclear power plants in northern Ohio, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2018 and emerged in February 2020. During that time, state lawmakers passed a $1.3 billion bailout bill that would provide a subsidy to keep the nuclear plants operating as well as other perks to utilities.

Now that bailout bill is the subject of a criminal racketeering case. Two men charged in the case former Ohio House speaker Larry Householder and former Ohio GOP chairman Matt Borges have pleaded not guilty. Two others lobbyist Juan Cespedes and political strategist Jeff Longstreth signed guilty pleas in October. A fifth man, lobbyist Neil Clark, died by suicide in March.

More: Ohio superlobbyist Neil Clark's tell-all book has Statehouse insiders abuzz

Energy Harbor and its former parent, FirstEnergy Corp., have said publicly that they are cooperating with prosecutors and FirstEnergy disclosed that it is in talks to get a deferred prosecution agreement.

Koschik said he wants to "stay in his lane" and avoid interfering in the U.S. District Court criminal case. He set Oct. 12 as the new deadline for the Akin Gump officials to submit the declarations.

Laura Bischoff is a reporter 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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Judge grants another delay in getting answers in House Bill 6 case - The Columbus Dispatch