To possibly avoid a conspiracy conviction, Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp., the utility at the heart of a $61-million Ohio Statehouse bribery scandal, has agreed to pay a $230 million penalty for its role in the scheme.
The head of the commission that regulates Ohio utilities resigned in the wake of a widening federal bribery and racketeering scandal tied to subsidies for two struggling nuclear plants.
The $61 million alleged bribery scheme wrapped around FirstEnergy Corp. has opened old wounds for the Ohio utility giant, and convinced FirstEnergy's harshest critics that the corporation never learned its lesson.
