The FirstEnergy bribery trial is being consumed by claims of misconduct and changing testimony as drama continues to plague the courtroom.
Updated: Feb. 17, 2026, 3:47 p.m.Former FirstEnergy chief ethics officer Ebony Yeboah-Amankwah answers by defense attorney Steven Grimes during the trial of ex-FirstEnergy Senior Vice President Michael Dowling and former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones in Summit County Court of Common Pleas Judge Susan Baker Ross's courtroom in Akron on Feb.
17, 2026.AKRON, Ohio — The trial of two former FirstEnergy executives accused of bribery turned messy Tuesday. Two major snags and a state Supreme Court ruling against the presiding judge overshadowed testimony and slowed the trial of former CEO Chuck Jones and top lobbyist Michael Dowling, who are accused of bribing a former state utility regulator.and a rare request from prosecutors to allow defense attorneys to view a key witness’ grand jury testimony.Both issues revolved around the testimony of former FirstEnergy chief ethics officer Ebony Yeboah-Amankwah, who has been on the witness stand for three days. She previously testified that Jones, then the head of the Fortune 500 company, signed off on the $4.3 million payment to Sam Randazzo, which prosecutors say was a bribe. She also testified that Jones later sold off some $18 million in company stock that spiked after several favorable rulings that Randazzo made as chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. Summit County Common Pleas Judge Susan Baker Ross hasn’t yet ruled on the defense’s request to toss out the case or give jurors an instruction that prosecutors failed to turn over all evidence to defense attorneys.Friday when defense attorneys accused prosecutors of failing to turn over any notes or summaries of three conversations they had with Yeboah-Amankwah. One discussion occurredProsecutors must turn over all evidence to defense attorneys before a trial. Defense attorneys said that prosecutors’ failure to do so amounted to an unfair trial. “The State has irreparably undermined the integrity of this trial in the pursuit of victory at the expense of due process,” defense attorneys wrote in the filing. “Our justice system does not tolerate that kind of intentional gamesmanship.” Prosecutors have not yet filed a written response. Assistant Ohio Attorney General Matthew Meyer previously said the conversations with Yeboah-Amankwah were brief and did not constitute an interview or trigger legal requirements to turn over anything to the defense. Later in the day, during cross-examination, Meyer stopped questioning Yeboah-Amankwah. After about 20 minutes in the judge’s chambers, he asked for her grand jury transcript to be unsealed.to “refresh” Yeboah-Amankwah’s memory of what she said during the secret proceedings. Meyer made the request shortly after Yeboah-Amankwah testified that she said others at FirstEnergy believed a $4.3 million payment was meant for Randazzo’s clients, a trade group called IEU-Ohio. The settlement was in exchange for IEU-Ohio agreeing not to oppose a FirstEnergy surcharge on customers for an extra five years, according to the defense. Prosecutors say the money was a bribe and defense attorneys argue it was legitimate settlement with IEU-Ohio. Randazzo ultimately kept the money. The unsealing of grand jury transcripts is rare because the proceedings are secret and testimony is sealed from the public and defense attorneys. Yeboah-Amankwah referenced her grand jury testimony multiple times. In one exchange, she initially testified that she had no concerns about the company paying Randazzo the $4.3 million shortly before he was appointed to the PUCO. After reviewing her grand jury testimony, she said “it did concern me” that Randazzo was involved in the deal, which included he would oversee doling out any settlement money. Yeboah-Amankwah also testified that when Dowling pushed for the quick payment, he told her Randazzo was retiring. She said she was surprised to learn weeks later that Randazzo had applied to the PUCO. While attorneys were busy reading Yeboah-Amankwah’s grand jury testimony during a lengthy break, the Ohio Supreme CourtThe high court ruled that Baker Ross must hold hearings in public, and give media outlets a chance to object, when ruling on whether a particular witness can be recorded or photographed. Of the seven witnesses who have testified over nine days, Baker Ross restricted journalists from fully recording or photographing two witnesses— former FirstEnergy attorney Mark Hayden and current FirstEnergy top accountant Jason Lisowski. Baker Ross ordered no audio or visual recordings of Hayden and only audio recording of Lisowski. She allowed recordings and photographs of Yeboah-Amankwah, despite her objections. Adam Ferrise covers federal courts for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer, where he’s worked since 2013. He previously covered Cleveland crime and policing, Akron and Summit County crime and courts and crime in...
@Sub-Group-C @Sub-Group-B @Subscriberexclusive Section:/Court-Justice
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
LA billboard reignites sexual misconduct accusations against YouTuber James CharlesToday's Video Headlines: 2/15/2026
Read more »
Everything you need to know about the FirstEnergy trial if you haven't been paying attentionReporter at News 5 Cleveland
Read more »
In major twist, FirstEnergy execs seek to toss charges in bribery trialDefense attorneys for Chuck Jones and Michael Dowling claim prosecutors withheld evidence from key witness conversations in the case.
Read more »
Rare move reveals secret testimony of key witness in FirstEnergy bribery trialSummit County Judge Susan Baker Ross granted prosecutors' unusual request to give defense attorneys transcripts of key witness Ebony Yeboah-Amankwah's grand jury testimony in the trial of former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and lobbyist Michael Dowling.
Read more »
Ohio Supreme Court strikes down media restrictions in FirstEnergy bribery trialThe state's high court said media should be allowed to hear why certain witnesses don't want to be photographed or recorded.
Read more »
Ohio lawmaker quietly regains committee seats lost amid sexual misconduct claimHouse Speaker Matt Huffman has restored state Rep. Rodney Creech's committee assignments that he lost following sexual misconduct allegations involving a minor family member.
Read more »