The details of the plot vary by state but the overall story is the same. From 2014-2016, FirstEnergy, a utility company in Ohio, tried and failed repeatedly to persuade the Public Utility Commission of Ohio to bail out its nuclear and coal plants. When this failed, FirstEnergy turned to the legislature, which enacted a $1.1-billion bailout bill in 2019. Householder and his co-accused funneled dark money to statehouse candidates, all but one of whom voted for the bailout after getting into office. Then they conspired to kill a ballot measure seeking to repeal the bailout. The accused also pocketed a hefty amount of the funds. The money for the scheme was funneled through a shady political group called Generation Now.