Cleveland, OH

Sam Randazzo, former top utility regulator accused of taking $4.3 million bribe, found dead

Published

3 months ago

April 10, 2024

Sam Randazzo, former top utility regulator accused of taking $4.3 million bribe, found dead

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former top state utility regulator accused of taking a $4.3 million bribe was found dead Tuesday.

Sam Randazzo was pronounced dead just before noon by the Columbus Division of Fire, according to a spokesman for the Franklin County Coroner’s office. He was found by police unresponsive, hanging by a rope in the rafters of a Columbus property. The coroner’s spokesman said it is a suspected death by suicide but will be confirmed in an autopsy.

Randazzo, 74, is the former chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and has been indicted in both federal and state court for taking bribes from Akron-based FirstEnergy.

Randazzo’s death follows an epic fall from grace. In 2018, he was on his way to retirement after a storied career as a utility lawyer, representing industrial energy users seeking cheaper electricity prices. But following the election of Gov. Mike DeWine, Randazzo applied, and was later appointed to serve as the chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

According to both state and federal prosecutors, it was around that time that he accepted a $4.3 million bribe. He has acknowledged receiving the payment but pleaded not guilty to felony charges, insisting the money was an obligatory term of a contractual arrangement. FirstEnergy admitted to paying the bribe in a deferred prosecution agreement in exchange for favorable treatment at the PUCO. Randazzo faced up to 20 years in prison.

While neither judge nor jury has made any finding on those allegations, Randazzo recently lost several important legal battles. The Ohio Supreme Court allowed Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost to freeze millions in his assets before trial. A federal judge denied his attempt to move the trial from Cincinnati to his hometown in Columbus.

Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer reached out to Roger Sugarman, his attorney.

Along with Randazzo, FirstEnergy has also admitted to bribing ex-House Speaker Larry Householder with millions of dollars in exchange for the passage of House Bill 6, legislation that charged ratepayers to bail out nuclear plants owned at the time by FirstEnergy. Householder has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Co-conspirator Matt Borges, a lobbyist, is serving a five year sentence as well. Two other men pleaded guilty to racketeering and testified as government witnesses. A fifth, Neil Clark, died by suicide in early 2021.

DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney declined to comment Tuesday evening.

Jennifer Young, a spokeswoman for FirstEnergy, said the company is “saddened to hear of this tragic news.”

Jake Zuckerman covers state politics and policy for Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.

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Cleveland, OH

Man dies after crash with semi-truck on Cleveland’s East Side

Published

2 hours ago

June 28, 2024

Press Room

Man dies after crash with semi-truck on Cleveland’s East Side

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A man was killed after colliding with a tractor-trailer at East 41st Street and Payne Avenue Thursday afternoon.

The accident happened around 2:25 pm.

According to Cleveland EMS, the man was taken to MetroHealth Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Cleveland Police’s AUI unit is investigating the accident.

East 41st is closed at Payne Avenue

This is a developing story check back with 19 News for the latest information.

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Cleveland, OH

University of Akron star, NE Ohio native drafted into NBA

Published

9 hours ago

June 27, 2024

Press Room

University of Akron star, NE Ohio native drafted into NBA

*Above video: Fun fast facts about Cavs*

CLEVELAND (WJW) – A Northeast Ohio native and University of Akron alum is officially joining the NBA.

Enrique Freeman was picked by the Indiana Pacers during Round 2 of the NBA Draft Thursday evening. He was the 50th pick overall.

CLEVELAND, OH – MARCH 16: Mid-American Conference Commissioner Dr. Jon A.Steinbrecher presents the MAC Tournament Most Valuable Player trophy to Akron Zips forward Enrique Freeman (25) following the MAC Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship game between the Kent State Golden Flashes and Akron Zips on March 16, 2024, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Cleveland native and Akron @ZipzMBB star Enrique Freeman is headed to the #Pacers with the No. 50th pick.
His draft stock kept rising since the Draft Combine. Freeman worked out for 12 teams this summer. In the end, Indy got him! Congrats, @EnriqueFreeman_! @fox8news
— John Sabol (@John_Sabol) June 27, 2024
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Freeman, who previously played for Cleveland’s St. Martin De Porres High School, is a 6′ 7″ power forward whose draft stock kept rising since the draft combine.

While playing for the Zips, according to the NBA, Freeman became a four-time MAC All-Defensive team member, two-time First-Team All-MAC member and two-time MAC Tournament MVP (2022, 2024). He also won 2022 MAC Defensive Player of the Year.

During his last season in college, Freeman averaged 18.6 points, 12.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.7 blocks and 0.8 steals.

Learn more about over NBA Draft picks here.

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Cleveland, OH

Caitlin Clark B1G Female Athlete of Year Again

Published

16 hours ago

June 27, 2024

Press Room

Caitlin Clark B1G Female Athlete of Year Again

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Former University of Iowa guard, Caitlin Clark, was named 2023-24 Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year, announced today by the Big Ten Conference Office.

Clark, from West Des Moines, Iowa, is the first Hawkeye to win the award in back-to-back years. She is also only the third repeat winner in Big Ten Conference history, joining Wisconsin’s Suzy Favor (1988, 1989, 1990) and Indiana’s Lilly King (2017, 2018).

She is also the third Hawkeye student-athlete to win the award, joining Kristy Gleason (field hockey, 1994) and Megan Gustafson (women’s basketball, 2019). She is also ninth women’s basketball student-athlete to win the award, joining Gustafson, Purdue’s Joy Holmes (1991), MaChelle Joseph (1992), Stephanie White (1999) and Katie Douglas (2001), Penn State’s Kelly Mazzante (2004), Ohio State’s Jessica Davenport (2007), and Minnesota’s Rachel Banham (2016).

It is the ninth time a Hawkeye (men’s or women’s student-athlete) has earned the Big Ten Athlete of the Year award, and the fourth time in the past six seasons. Iowa’s past winners include wrestlers Ed Banach (1983), Barry Davis (1985) and Brent Metcalf (2008), football player Chuck Long (1986), men’s basketball player Luka Garza (2021), Gleason, and Gustafson.

Clark won the 2024 Honda Cup on Monday, and was named Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year as by THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA). She also won the 2024 Naismith, Wooden and Wade Trophies along with the Associated Press and USBWA Ann Drysdale Player of the Year honors.

She is also a three-time winner of the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award and is the first-ever three-time winner of the Dawn Staley Award. She also won the Honda Sport Award for Basketball in April.

Clark, who now plays for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, is the NCAA basketball all-time leading scorer and the only player in NCAA Division I men’s or women’s basketball history to lead her conference in scoring and assists in four consecutive seasons. Clark led the nation in 10 different offensive categories, including averaging 31.6 points and 8.9 assists per game and also broke the NCAA women’s tournament scoring record during the Hawkeyes’ final NCAA Tournament run.

Off the court, she is a three-time First Team Academic All-American and was named the 2024 CSC Academic All-America of the Year.

The Big Ten Athletes of the Year are selected by a panel of conference media members from nominations submitted by each institution.

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