‘Justice needs to be done’: AG Yost wants FirstEnergy trial to continue after a hung jury

The state of Ohio will retry a pair of former FirstEnergy executives on bribery charges after a jury could not reach a verdict in a trial stemming from the House Bill 6 scandal, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a video statement.

A jury could not decide whether to acquit or convict former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and Mike Dowling, the company’s former senior vice president of external affairs. The two are accused of paying a $4.3 million bribe to Sam Randazzo, the then-PUCO chair, who died in April 2024, in 2019 as part of an effort to pass HB 6.

Prosecutors asked for a hearing to set a new trial in 30 days, while defense attorneys asked the judge to declare a mistrial, according to the Statehouse News Bureau.

“So we have a hung jury. That means they deliberated for a long time and couldn’t get to a verdict that they all agreed on,” Yost said in a YouTube video. “That means somebody didn’t think they were guilty, and some people thought they were beyond a reasonable doubt. What happens next? The state of Ohio can, and will, retry these defendants. Justice needs to be done.”

Yost thanked Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich, members of his own staff, and the jury for their work.

“This was a massive, long deliberation,” Yost said. “On behalf of the people of Ohio, I appreciate the fact that they took two months out of their lives to consider this case. I’m very grateful for their service.”

John McCaffrey of Tucker Ellis LLP, the firm representing Dowling, told the Bureau in an emailed statement that they “appreciate the jury’s attention to the evidence and their service in this case.”

“We will be filing a motion for judgment of acquittal, and we will continue in our defense of Mr. Dowling,” he said.

Yost said he has been fighting against FirstEnergy and House Bill 6 for many years, starting in 2020. According to a, “his relentless pursuit of justice has paid off handsomely, saving Ohioans nearly $2 billion over the life of HB6.”

“I have used, and will continue to grab, every tool available to this office to dismantle this illegal bill and hold accountable those who were part of the unholy alliance,” he said in a Sept. 32, 2021, release. “Corruption has no place in Ohio, and it will be stopped at every turn – no matter who is involved.”

Yost added in the press release that he “wanted to send a message that the consequences of political corruption are so high that no one tries this again.”

“Political corruption doesn’t happen without private money – the person paying is just as guilty as the person who is receiving,” he said.