Ohio utility that paid federal penalty says it’s now being investigated by a state commission

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A utility company in Ohio says it’s being investigated by a state office focused on organized crime in connection with payments to the state’s former House speaker and a top utility regulator. Cleveland.com reports that FirstEnergy said in a financial report filed Monday that it had received a subpoena on June 29 from the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, which is part of the state attorney general’s office. The payments were the focus of a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement between the Akron-based firm and federal authorities in which the company agreed to pay a $230 million penalty and cooperate with investigators. The company says it was unaware of the state investigation.