Carole Rendon, an attorney for former FirstEnergy chief executive Chuck Jones, issued a statement in response to the news that Mr. Jones has been indicted in the Summit County Court of Common Pleas. Ms. Rendon, formerly U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, is a partner with BakerHostetler. Her statement reads as follows:

“For more than three years, a false and unfair narrative has surrounded Chuck Jones and other current and former employees of FirstEnergy, the company to which Mr. Jones devoted his entire 42-year career. That ends today.

Mr. Jones did not violate the law. He did not bribe anyone. He acted in the best interests of FirstEnergy’s customers as well as its employees and investors, and never betrayed their trust.

“We are disappointed that the Ohio Attorney General and Summit County Prosecutor chose to obtain an indictment without ever speaking with Mr. Jones or his counsel or otherwise attempting to understand the full context of the one-sided information on which the indictment is based.

“We are also disappointed that the prosecutors falsely asserted that Mr. Jones failed to surrender as promised. While the Attorney General and the lead prosecutors on this case were holding a press conference this morning, Mr. Jones and his lawyers were in Akron waiting for instructions from the Court. The Court sets bond, not the prosecutor. Mr. Jones will comply with the Court’s directives and will appear for his arraignment at 1:00 PM tomorrow, February 13, 2024.

Most importantly, the facts necessary to understand what actually happened have not yet been made public. When those facts are presented, they will set the record straight and restore the excellent reputation that Mr. Jones built over a lifetime of service to Ohio electric customers, FirstEnergy employees, his industry, and his community.”

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