Republican Speaker of Ohio's House of Representatives Larry Householder was arrested Tuesday in connection to a 60-million-U.S. dollar bribery scheme, local authorities said.

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio David DeVillers said four others were also arrested, describing the case as "likely the largest bribery money laundering scheme ever perpetrated against the people of the state of Ohio."

"Make no mistake, these allegations are bribery. Pure and simple," DeVillers said at a press briefing.

Householder, with four associates, pocketed millions of dollars from a company in exchange for help in passing a billion-dollar bill to save two nuclear power plants run by the company, according to a criminal complaint.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, also a Republican, called on him to resign immediately, tweeting it would be impossible for him to effectively lead the Ohio House of Representatives due to his performance.

The speaker was one of the driving forces behind a nuclear plants' financial rescue, which added a new fee to every electricity bill in the state and directed over 150 million U.S. dollars a year through 2026 to the plants near Cleveland and Toledo.

He and the others used the money to preserve and expand his political power, the complaint said. Almost 100,000 U.S. dollars was used for his 2018 campaign, and more than 100,000 U.S. dollars went to the speaker's Florida home, according to the complaint.

After the court hearing, the state's Republican elections chief announced that he had referred 19 potential campaign-finance violations to the Ohio Elections Commission based on allegations in the complaint, including converting campaign funds for personal use.

Householder represents a district east of Columbus. He was first elected to the state House in 1996, according to his official biography.

(With input from Xinhua and AP)