Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder has been in a federal prison for more than a year but his campaign account continues to pay tens of thousands of dollars to a Mount Vernon attorney.
Attorney Scott Pullins, who also serves as campaign treasurer, paid his law firm almost $116,000 out of Larry Householder’s campaign account, including $70,000 since Householder went to federal prison in June 2023.
Pullins said the $116,000 isn’t a lot of money because he represents Householder or his campaign committee in two cases pending before the Ohio Elections Commission and a civil case filed by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost against multiple parties, including Householder.
The civil case, filed by Yost in September 2020 against multiple parties, has yet to be scheduled for trial.
The Elections Commission cases have not had any activity since November 2023, according to Phil Richter, commission director. They have yet to be scheduled to be heard by the commission, he said.
Pullins billed the campaign account for legal research and representation on pending civil matters.
Richter said campaign money is supposed to be used for campaign purposes. He declined to offer an opinion on whether the Pullins’ billings fall into that category.
Other than $152 in bank and accounting fees, the Pullins Law Firm is the only beneficiary of the Friends of Larry Householder campaign account, according to the annual campaign finance report filed in January 2024. Pullins did not file a semi-annual report, normally due in July, because there were no contributions to the account, he said.
“It’s all publicly disclosed. He is certainly aware of it and supports my representation,” Pullins said.
Who is Scott Pullins?
Pullins has long been an associate of Householder, dating back to Householder’s first time as Ohio House speaker in 2001. At that time, Pullins led the Ohio Taxpayers’ Association.
More recently, he lost a Republican primary race for a seat in the Ohio House.
When U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Black sentenced Householder in June 2023, Pullins sat in the front row with the Householder family.
Pullins said among all the attorneys representing him, he communicates the most with Householder. He said Householder has lost about 80 pounds, walks for exercise and has had some health issues in prison.
“He’s doing fairly well but it is prison. It’s not summer camp,” Pullins said.
The Ohio Supreme Court suspended Pullins’ law license in 2010 for “bizarre behavior” and “intemperate and unprofessional attacks” on the legal establishment in Knox County. Pullins got his license reinstated four years later.
Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=66f27dc9a34c4557a22211728c103aad&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cincinnati.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F2024%2F09%2F23%2Flarry-householder-is-in-prison-but-his-campaign-account-is-active%2F75308297007%2F&c=243432260633241147&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-09-23 15:01:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.