CINCINNATI — In late 2016, as Larry Householder was plotting his return to the Ohio House speakership, Akron-based FirstEnergy was drowning in losses from its uncompetitive nuclear and coal generators, the company’s treasurer testified Tuesday.

But just a month or so later, Householder and his associates flew on a private plane owned by FirstEnergy to Washington D.C. for a swanky series of dinners and drinks with top executives with the company, an FBI agent testified Tuesday. FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones joined them after flying in on a separate FirstEnergy flight, the agent, Blane Wetzel, said.

Within weeks, FirstEnergy money was flowing into Householder’s political machine.

Tuesday was the second day of the racketeering trial of Householder and lobbyist Matt Borges. 

The men are accused of participating in a scheme to use $61 million — mostly in FirstEnergy money — to elect Republican lawmakers and make Householder speaker in 2019. In return, Householder rammed through a $1.3 billion bailout that mostly benefited FirstEnergy, the company admitted in a deferred prosecution agreement. Borges is accused of participating in a conspiracy to thwart an effort to repeal the bailout law — House Bill 6 — through a ballot initiative.

In opening statements Monday, federal prosecutors said that Householder corruptly engineered the scheme to put himself in a position of power and to pay himself more than $500,000. For their part,…