Former Ohio PUC Chair Indicted for Alleged Bribe-Taking

A federal grand jury indicted Sam Randazzo, former Ohio Public Utilities Commission chairman, for alleged crimes related to bribery and embezzlement. Randazzo surrendered Monday morning at the U.S. District Court in Cincinnati, said the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. Unsealed Monday, the 11-count indictment "outlines an alleged scheme in which a public regulatory official ignored the Ohio consumers he was responsible for protecting, instead taking a bribe from an energy company seeking favors," said William Rivers, FBI Cincinnati special agent in charge. An appointee of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R), Randazzo chaired the Ohio PUC from April 2019 to November 2020, when he resigned following an FBI raid of his home (see 2011200039). Randazzo allegedly received more than $4.3 million from an energy company and its affiliates to provide favorable actions. Indicting the former chair “is an important step to bring justice to Ohio utility consumers,” said Ohio Consumers’ Counsel Maureen Willis in a statement. Willis called for “near-term reform” of the selection process for appointing Ohio PUC chairs.