FirstEnergy Foots Legal Bill for Axed Executive in Bribery Case

FirstEnergy Corp. is paying for the high-powered attorneys representing at least one fired executive in an Ohio racketeering case that includes allegations of bribing the state’s top utilities regulator, prosecutors said.

Covering the legal fees for Michael Dowling, the Akron-based utility’s former senior vice president of external affairs, may appear peculiar in the tangled web of cases that portray the company both as a criminal perpetrator and a victim. However, outside observers say the situation is a common one to attract and protect board members.

The office of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R) said in a Thursday filing that ...