(NBC News)Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and four cohorts were arrested on Tuesday in what prosecutors called the “largest bribery scheme” in state history.
FBI agents raided Householder’s farm in Glenford, about 45 miles east of Columbus, according to Perry County Sheriff’s deputies who assisted in the operation on Tuesday morning.
The 61-year-old Householder, regarded as one of the state’s three most powerful lawmakers, was taken into custody and charged with racketeering conspiracy, officials said.
Also arrested and charged were the speaker’s adviser Jeffrey Longstreth, 44, former Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matthew Borges, 48, and prominent lobbyists Neil Clark, 67, and Juan Cespedes, 40, authorities said.