Sam Randazzo

Sam Randazzo was a longtime utility-industry attorney whom Gov. Mike DeWine appointed to chair the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio in 2019 — after FirstEnergy had secretly paid him $4.3 million. He is the HB 6 scandal's captured regulator, and he died by suicide in April 2024 before he could stand trial.

Who he was

The founder and legal counsel of the Industrial Energy Users of Ohio (IEU Ohio), an industrial-ratepayer group, and one of the state's most influential energy lawyers before Mike DeWine put him atop the agency that regulates utilities.

Key facts and dates

• FirstEnergy admitted paying him $4.3 million via a 2015 "consulting" contract (through his firm, the Sustainability Funding Alliance) shortly before his 2019 PUCO appointment; prosecutors call it a sham to disguise a bribe.
• Resigned November 2020, days after an FBI search of his home.
• Federally indicted late 2023 (11 counts); charged by the state in Summit County (not-guilty plea, Feb. 2024).
• Died April 9, 2024, age 74, in a Columbus warehouse he owned; the coroner ruled it a suicide — the second indicted figure to die that way, after lobbyist Neil Clark (2021).
• Feb. 2026 trial testimony (energy executive Matt Brakey) alleged Randazzo also skimmed millions from IEU Ohio's own industrial clients.

Relationships

• Regulator counterpart to FirstEnergy executives Chuck Jones and Mike Dowling, whose Ohio retrial is set for September 28, 2026.
• His capture of Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) is what let the The HB 6 / FirstEnergy Bribery Scandal pay off for the utility.

Why it matters in 2026

• His case is the clearest example of regulatory capture on the 2026 slate: the governor still appoints Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) commissioners, so the Ohio 2026 Governor Race shapes whether the agency is captured again.
• The state's asset-forfeiture claims against his estate remain open.