Householder aide pleads guilty to racketeering, testifies in trial

A top aide to former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder testified against his former boss on Wednesday, describing him as a larger-than-life personality who demanded loyalty above all else. Jeff Longstreth worked for Householder from 2016 until July 2020, when federal prosecutors unveiled indictments in the largest public corruption case in Ohio history. “I pleaded guilty to racketeering,” Longstreth told jurors. “I handled the money. By doing, that I facilitated everything else that happened because of that.” Longstreth is the second defendant to plead guilty and testify for prosecutors at trial, hoping to reduce their eventual prison sentence by cooperating. A FirstEnergy lobbyist, Juan Cespedes, also pleaded guilty and testified last week.