‘Dark Money’ Ohio Bribe Verdict Shows Citizens United Limit (2)

Ohio’s former House Speaker was found guilty of public corruption capping a landmark trial over a $61 million bribery scheme in which FirstEnergy Corp. paid for a state-funded nuclear bailout.

A Cincinnati jury found Larry Householder, a Republican two-time Ohio House Speaker, guilty of racketeering, an offense for which the southern-Ohio politician could face up to 20 years in prison. The jury also found former Ohio Republican Party Chair Matthew Borges guilty of the same offense.

The case was a major test of the boundaries for “dark money” prosecutions of nonprofit donations because the big question for ...