Timeline: The Larry Householder saga

Jury deliberation continues Thursday in the corruption trial of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder.

State of play: He's alleged to have been involved in a $60 million bribery scheme that resulted in a $1.3 billion nuclear bailout bill enacted in 2019. Here's a quick timeline of events:

2018: Householder is alleged to have used dark money to fund the campaigns of Republican allies during this election cycle.

• These candidates went on to support his successful return to the speaker's chair the following January.

Oct. 22, 2019: HB 6 goes into effect, gutting state renewable energy standards and subsidizing the operation costs of FirstEnergy nuclear power plants via new monthly surcharges on Ohio electricity ratepayers.

July 21, 2020: Householder and four political associates are arrested in what former U.S. attorney David M. DeVillers called "likely the largest bribery and money-laundering scheme ever in the state of Ohio."

• Householder would later be removed as speaker and expelled from the legislature.

2020-2021: Campaign strategist Jeffrey Longstreth, lobbyist Juan Cespedes and a political nonprofit group that admitted to receiving FirstEnergy bribes all plead guilty to their participation in the scheme.

• FirstEnergy also agreed to pay a $230 million penalty in a deferred prosecution settlement with the federal government that acknowledged paying Householder in return for HB 6's passage.

Jan. 23, 2023-present: Householder and another alleged conspirator, former Ohio GOP chair Matt Borges, face trial for racketeering.

• "The bottom line is that Larry Householder was engaged in political activity, not criminal activity," his attorney said in Tuesday's closing statement.

What's next: Each faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.