AKRON, Ohio (WOWO) — JobsOhio board chairman Josh Rubin is scheduled to be deposed this week as part of a federal civil lawsuit accusing Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. of misleading investors about an alleged effort to influence Ohio lawmakers and secure a multibillion-dollar financial benefit for the utility.

According to court records, Rubin is scheduled to give sworn testimony Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 ahead of a federal civil trial in which FirstEnergy is the defendant.

The lawsuit was brought by state pension systems and other investors, who allege FirstEnergy failed to disclose what they describe as an “illicit campaign to corrupt high-profile state legislators” to obtain legislation favorable to the company.

The case stems from the same political corruption scandal that resulted in the conviction of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder. Householder is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for his role in the scheme, which federal prosecutors described as one of the largest bribery scandals in Ohio history.

FirstEnergy has denied wrongdoing in the broader scandal and previously entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with federal authorities. The company agreed to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties after admitting that it conspired to commit honest-services wire fraud in connection with the House Bill 6 bribery scheme.

At the center of the scandal was House Bill 6, legislation passed in 2019 that provided a $1.3 billion bailout for two financially struggling nuclear plants formerly owned by FirstEnergy Solutions, while also changing Ohio’s renewable-energy and energy-efficiency requirements.

The investor lawsuit focuses on whether FirstEnergy adequately disclosed its conduct to shareholders and other investors.

Rubin’s scheduled deposition is significant because of his past relationship with FirstEnergy executives and his involvement in Ohio politics and lobbying.

Before joining the JobsOhio board, Rubin advised FirstEnergy’s senior executives and later formally worked as a lobbyist for the company. Records cited in the litigation show that his lobbying firm, the CJR Group, received $300,000 from FirstEnergy in 2018 and 2019.

Rubin is also a longtime political adviser to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. DeWine appointed Rubin chairman of the JobsOhio board in September 2023.

JobsOhio is the state’s private economic development organization. The agency was established by state law and operates with significant exemptions from Ohio’s public-records and open-meetings requirements.

The organization has used proceeds connected to Ohio’s state liquor enterprise to provide grants and loans to businesses as part of its economic-development mission.

Among the companies that have received JobsOhio assistance is FirstEnergy.

Rubin’s position at JobsOhio has drawn criticism from government-transparency advocates because he is also a lobbyist with numerous corporate clients, some of which have business interests before the state economic-development organization.

One of Rubin’s clients is Intel, which has received substantial financial commitments from JobsOhio and additional support from DeWine’s administration for the company’s major semiconductor project in central Ohio. Rubin has been paid to lobby on Intel’s behalf.

Rubin’s connection to FirstEnergy goes back to the early days of the DeWine administration.

On Dec. 18, 2018, shortly after DeWine and then-Lt. Gov. Jon Husted were elected, the two met with FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and company vice president Michael Dowling at the Columbus Athletic Club.

Rubin attended that dinner. At the time, he was advising FirstEnergy executives and was preparing to become a company lobbyist.

According to evidence described in court proceedings, the discussion included Sam Randazzo, an attorney and longtime adviser to FirstEnergy who was being considered for a senior position regulating Ohio’s utility industry.

Rubin later advised the FirstEnergy executives not to tell DeWine that they were going directly from the dinner to meet with Randazzo, according to an Associated Press report cited in the supplied material.

That subsequent meeting took place at Randazzo’s German Village condominium, where federal prosecutors said negotiations over a $4.3 million payment to Randazzo occurred.

Randazzo later became chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio after being nominated by DeWine.

Prosecutors alleged that the $4.3 million payment from FirstEnergy to Randazzo was a bribe connected to his role in helping advance the company’s legislative interests. Randazzo has denied wrongdoing, and the circumstances surrounding the payment have been the subject of criminal proceedings.

Randazzo was later charged in connection with the corruption investigation. He died by suicide in 2024.

The FirstEnergy scandal also involved a network of nonprofit political organizations that prosecutors and investigators said were used to conceal the company’s spending.

According to the supplied reporting, FirstEnergy directed more than $60 million through 501(c)(4) organizations during 2018 and 2019 as the company worked to pass and protect the nuclear bailout legislation.

One of those organizations received $25 million through an arrangement involving a former FirstEnergy lobbyist who went on to serve in DeWine’s administration.

DeWine signed House Bill 6 into law in 2019 and initially defended the legislation as sound public policy. His administration later faced scrutiny because of its connections to FirstEnergy and people involved in the legislation.

Husted, who later became Ohio’s secretary of state and then a U.S. senator, was also a prominent supporter of the bailout while serving as lieutenant governor. In 2017, FirstEnergy provided $1 million in dark-money funding to an independent political organization supporting Husted, according to the supplied reporting. A spokeswoman for Husted said the group was not affiliated with him.

The political fallout from the scandal has continued for years.

Householder was convicted federally and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Former FirstEnergy executives also have faced criminal proceedings related to the scandal. A previous state trial involving former FirstEnergy executives ended with a hung jury, setting the stage for another trial.

The federal civil case is separate from those criminal proceedings.

Investors suing FirstEnergy contend the company misled them about the nature and extent of the alleged corruption campaign and its potential financial and legal consequences.

Rubin’s deposition could provide the investors with testimony about FirstEnergy’s lobbying operations, its relationships with Ohio officials and the events surrounding the selection of Randazzo as the state’s top utility regulator.

Rubin and JobsOhio did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to the supplied reporting.

The deposition is scheduled for Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, with the federal civil trial to follow.

The litigation represents another legal chapter in an Ohio corruption scandal that began with an effort to secure a state bailout for FirstEnergy’s struggling nuclear plants and ultimately produced federal convictions, criminal charges, extensive investigations and continuing questions about how the company’s political influence was exercised inside Ohio state government.