COLUMBUS (AP) — Two Ohio political operatives have pleaded guilty for their roles in a $60 million bribery case that investigators allege helped prop up two aging nuclear power plants.
Juan Cespedes is a lobbyist who’s been described by investigators as a “key middleman.”
Jeffrey Longstreth is a longtime political adviser to ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder.
Both pleaded guilty in hearings Thursday before federal Judge Timothy Black.
The hearings were held by video conference because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Cespedes and Longstreth’s attorneys said their clients decided to plead guilty after reviewing the government’s evidence.
Sentencing dates weren’t set.