CINCINNATI — Those working to gather signatures to get a referendum on the ballot to overturn Ohio House Bill 6 were followed and harassed, so much that many of them quit, according to testimony Tuesday in the trial of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and former Ohio Republican Party chairman Matt Borges.
What You Need To Know
- Advanced Micro Targeting was hired to gather signatures for a ballot referendum against House Bill 6
- Those working to gather signatures to get a referendum on the ballot to overturn HB6 were followed and harassed
- Lawyers for both sides questioned former Republican state representative Laura Lanese
The two are charged with racketeering conspiracy and are being tried at the Potter Stewart Federal Courthouse in Cincinnati.
Michael Roberson, CEO of Advanced Micro Targeting, testified for the prosecution. Advanced Micro Targeting was hired to gather signatures for a ballot referendum against HB6, the so-called nuclear power bailout bill that Gov. Mike DeWine signed in July 2019.
Roberson, a Republican and former Nevada state senator, told jurors his employees were brought to Ohio from around the country. They had less than 30 days to get the required number of signatures after Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost initially rejected the ballot language and Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts, the group behind the referendum drive, had to start over.
He said he had never seen anything like the counter-initiative to keep the issue off the ballot. Roberson said his workers were followed, harassed, and some were even offered money to go home or work for the opposition, and that many employees quit because they felt unsafe.
Roberson also talked about hiring Tyler Fehrman as the project manager for the referendum campaign. Fehrman would later become an FBI informant who testified that Borges paid him $15,000 in exchange for insider information regarding the number of signatures collected.
Borges had said the money was instead intended to help Fehrman after his divorce and for other unrelated work. Upon cross-examination by Borges’ lawyer, Roberson said Jeffrey Longstreth offered AMT money to not come to Ohio. Longstreth, a former Republican strategist, previously pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in the case.
A second witness, Doug Gray, backed up Roberson’s claims of harassment. Gray worked with AMT on the referendum initiative and said the opposition campaign offered him an opportunity to leave Ohio, but he didn’t.
Earlier in the day, lawyers for both sides questioned former Republican state representative Laura Lanese. She told jurors she was surprised when Householder asked her to be part of his leadership team once he was elected House Speaker. She had supported his opponent, then-Rep. Ryan Smith, for the position.
She told Householder’s lawyer she feared losing her leadership role because she voted against HB6 as it worked its way through the legislature. She later told Borges’ lawyer that the former GOP chair never approached her about the bailout bill.
Both Householder and Borges pleaded not guilty. Court adjourned early Tuesday and is expected to resume Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.
