Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder was arrested Tuesday in an FBI raid for allegedly playing a role in a $60 million federal bribery scheme. Also arrested were four others, including a former state GOP party chairman.

The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, David DeVillers, described the case as a "public corruption racketeering conspiracy involving $60 million," a spokesman said.

FBI agents were “carrying out law enforcement” activity at Householder’s farm early Tuesday, according to spokesman Todd Lindgren. Householder lives on a property in Glenford, a small city located 40 miles east of Columbus.

The four others arrested: Householder adviser Jeffrey Longstreth, longtime Statehouse lobbyist Neil Clark, former Ohio Republican Party chairman Matthew Borges and Juan Cespedes, the co-founder of The Oxley Group in Columbus.

Householder, a Republican, has served in the Ohio House since 2017, and became House Speaker in 2019, his second stint in that position. He also served as Speaker from 2001 to 2004 but left statehouse politics due to term limits.

In 2004, Householder, along with some of his associates, faced a federal probe due to money laundering and irregular campaign practices. The federal case was later closed, and Householder did not face charges.

Householder is a former businessman who had managed an insurance agency. He had once criticized an Ohio public library for providing an outlet to LGBT teens at the expense of taxpayers, which prompted state Democrats to slam his comments.

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