Nearly 1,100 days after the news broke of the House Bill 6 scandal orchestrated by former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, the maximum sentence has been handed down to hold him accountable for his actions and bring him to justice.

The 20 years that Householder has been sentenced to serve in federal prison are the direct result of the years-long empire-building scheme he designed to develop a sustainable structure to channel dark money for political purposes. Larry Householder and others involved believed they were above the law and that there would be no ramifications for their actions. Today, that belief comes to an end. 

The House Bill 6 scandal is a prime example of how special interests with deep pockets are empowered to drive the decisions of Ohio’s legislature. Ohioans deserve better, and as a result of this significant sentence, we will be expecting better from our elected officials moving forward. 

Democracy does not allow our leaders to wield power without the opportunity for the people to exercise a check on that power. We hope today’s sentencing will allow the state to move past the largest bribery and racketeering scheme in our history and move toward a system of transparency and accountability where the voice of the people is heard and valued by our decision makers.