COLUMBUS, Ohio — One of the dozen people seeking to fill the vacant Ohio 15th Congressional seat has deep ties to what law enforcement has labeled the biggest corruption scandal in the state’s history.
State Representative Jeff LaRe, a Republican from Violet Township in Fairfield County, is just one of the many people seeking to fill the seat in a special election later this year. The position was left vacant by former Congressman Steve Stivers when he announced earlier in April he was leaving the federal government to take a job at Ohio’s Chamber of Commerce. Stivers has endorsed LaRe in the crowded Republican primary to succeed him.
LaRe, 45, is a former police officer who was appointed to an Ohio House seat in 2019. He hails from Northwest Fairfield County where he worked for a security company. Despite the credentials that paint him as a straight-shooter and someone who doesn’t mess with criminals, LaRe, himself, has aligned his political career with Ohio’s most notorious corrupt players.
Background on HB6 scandal
There is a lot of money and power involved in Ohio’s largest corruption investigation. A nuclear plant owner in northern Ohio wanted a $1 billion bailout, and a Republican lawmaker hoping to return to power needed money. Investigators allege a $61 million bribery scheme resulted in the election of Perry County Representative Larry Householder as Ohio’s House Speaker, the passage of a nuclear plant subsidy law known as House Bill 6, and the defense of the law against an initiative to block it. Householder and four allies were arrested on racketeering charges in July 2020, with each now facing up to 20 years in prison. Two of those involved, Juan Cespedes, 41, and Jeffrey Longstreth, 44, each pleaded guilty last year to participating in the conspiracy. It is Longstreth’s company, JPL and Associates, that was a key crafter of HB6, investigators allege.
The FBI has told local media that the scandal is the worst corruption case in the state’s history.
LaRe’s Congressional run
Fast forward to today, and a top adviser to LaRe’s congressional campaign is Megan Fitzmartin. Fitzmartin worked for Longstreth’s firm, and according to several people, she was one of the masterminds behind the corrupt legislation and was a de facto aide to Householder. Fitzmartin hasn’t been charged in connection with the bribery scheme, but Department of Justice officials have identified her as a witness in the probe.
In 2020, former Ohio House candidate and current state board of education member Nick Owens told a Cincinnati newspaper that Fitzmartin was closely connected to Householder. So close, that Ownes said that he had a meeting with Householder, who promised Owens $500,000 if he was loyal to the speaker. In the meeting, Ownes said Fitzmartin and Bryan Gray — former deputy chief of staff for administration in the Ohio House — were present.
Fitzmartin left JPL and Associates around the time the indictments came down. She currently runs her own political consulting firm and is a key adviser to LaRe’s bid for Capitol Hill. She’s been spotted at numerous political events supporting LaRe, wearing a shirt with his name and passing out campaign literature.
On Tuesday, the Guardian asked LaRe at a campaign stop in Tarlton what Fitzmartin’s involvement was with his congressional race. He briefly replied that she works on the campaign and that he was not aware of her involvement with Householder or Longstreth, despite her job titles prominently displayed on her resume.
The Guardian also asked LaRe what the names of Cespedes, Neil Clark, Matt Borges, and Ben Kaiser meant to him. It was at that moment, the representative got into a nearby waiting black SUV and refused to answer questions.
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According to campaign finance paperwork, Cespedes, Borges, Kaiser, and Clark are all donors to LaRe’s political fund. Cespedes was LaRe’s third top donor and Borges was within the top ten. Borges is the former Ohio Republican Party chairman who was indicted along with Householder and Cespedes in the bribery scheme. Clark was also indicted in the case.
“When Matt Borges wasn’t busy masterminding one of the largest political bribery operations in U.S. history and handing cash to LaRe, the former Ohio Republican Party Chairman was creating a super PAC aimed at electing Joe Biden,” said political commentator Drew Johnson. “Borges’ ‘Right Side PAC’ poured money into encouraging Republicans in key swing states, including Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida and North Carolina, to vote for Biden and other Democratic candidates, and it worked.”
Johnson added that LaRe has chosen to align himself with some of Ohio’s most corrupt political players.
“LaRe is friends with – and has pocketed thousands of dollars in campaign cash from – the very people who masterminded a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme aimed at snatching more than $1 billion from taxpayers.”
On Tuesday, while LaRe refused to answer the Guardian’s questions, he briefly said he donated the money from the Householder-aligned politicos to charity. When the Guardian emailed the congressional campaign seeking proof, none was provided. A call to the charities LaRe mentioned wielded no results.
“With the eyes of the nation upon the district, the last thing Republicans can afford is to allow a precious House seat to fall into the hands of someone with little political experience, questionable principles, and close ties to criminals who exploited their government ties to try to make a quick buck off the backs of taxpayers,” said Johnson.
The Ohio Democratic Party agreed with Johnson.
“Ohioans deserve elected officials that are looking out for their interests, not special interests in Columbus. For too long, GOP politicians have put their own ambitions ahead of the needs of Ohioans, and it’s long past time for a change,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.
The special election to fill the vacant congressional seat has a primary for August 3.
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