Lobbyist named in $60M Ohio bribery probe is found dead

A longtime Ohio lobbyist who pleaded not guilty in a sweeping federal bribery investigation has been found dead

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A longtime Ohio lobbyist who had pleaded not guilty in a sweeping federal bribery investigation has been found dead.

In response to a request about information concerning Neil Clark’s death, the sheriff’s office in Collier County, Florida, where Clark had been living, provided a report describing a man’s body being found near a pond Monday morning by a bicyclist. The county medical examiner confirmed to AP it was Clark’s body and that a medical investigation and autopsy are underway.

When officials reached out to the man’s wife, she said the couple was having financial issues and that she had not heard from her husband for a couple of hours, according to the report.

Clark, 67, had pleaded not guilty in August over an alleged role in a $60 million scheme in which federal prosecutors say FirstEnergy companies funneled money through a network of dark money entities to then-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder in exchange for the passage of a $1 billion nuclear bailout bill.

Former U.S. Attorney David DeVillers mentioned Clark’s death during a presentation Tuesday to the board of the Office of Ohio Consumer’s Counsel, in which he was discussing the probe.

A message seeking details was left with Clark’s attorney, Bill Ireland.

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