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Judge rules government wiretaps in Waltz sting can be used in Nashville trial -- Former state senator John Ford lost a round Tuesday in Nashville where he's fighting federal corruption charges. A judge rejected Ford's motion to suppress wiretap evidence, giving a green light to prosecutors to use secret recordings of the Memphis Democrat's phone calls at his trial next month. U.S. District Judge Todd Campbell dismissed arguments by Ford's lawyer that the government improperly used a wiretap in its Memphis-based Tennessee Waltz sting to build a separate criminal case against Ford in Nashville. In the Waltz sting, Ford, 65,...

Foreclosure sale on East Memphis house now owned by his ex-wife -- Few things stir as much passion or evoke more sentimentality over the American Dream as a home. So when this two-story brick home goes on the auction block this morning, it will not only shatter one homeowner's personal dream but also deliver a wrecking ball to a Memphis political icon -- former state senator John Ford. Ford's former East Memphis home, now held exclusively by his ex-wife, is in foreclosure and is set to be sold to the highest bidder at 11 a.m. on the steps of the...

John Ford will not have to report to prison on Oct. 17 as scheduled. The former state senator was granted additional time this morning for his appellate attorney to obtain and review several thousand pages of transcripts from his bribery trial. Ford, 65, who was convicted in April of taking $55,00 in bribes as a state legislator, was sentenced last month to 5 ½ years to be served in a federal prison near El Paso, Texas. U.S. Dist. Court Judge J. Daniel Breen, however, continued the report date and set a hearing for Nov. 28 to determine whether he Ford...

NASHVILLE — Days after news broke in 2005 that then-state Sen. John Ford was taking huge payments from a state contractor, his brother warned him he could be facing criminal charges, according to wiretap evidence released today in federal court here. Former congressman Harold Ford Sr. told John Ford as federal agents listened in on a Feb. 14, 2005, phone call that once a grand jury begins looking at the payments from a TennCare contractor, “it’s all over.’’ “I mean that TennCare thing got to be the most explosive thing in the world,’’ Harold Ford told his brother. “... I...

Former state senator John Ford, who was convicted of bribery last month, has been ordered to report Oct. 17 to the federal prison in Anthony, Texas. The order of surrender was issued this week, a month after U.S. Dist. Judge J. Daniel Breen had sentenced Ford to 66 months. With good behavior, he could get out in about four and a half years. Yet Ford, 65, a savvy Memphis Democrat who dominated the city’s legislative delegation for three decades, has one more card to play. Ford faces an Oct. 1 hearing, when he will ask to remain free while he...

While some Memphis City Council races are thinly populated with two or three candidates, voters in District 6 will choose from among 11. There's a new Ford Jr. in the arena this year, but not a Harold. This is Edmund Ford's son who is vying for his father's seat on the council. Four other candidates have run for political office, several in past races for this seat. Eight of the candidates responded to a questionnaire submitted by The Commercial Appeal. District 6 includes Southwest Memphis and parts of Whitehaven, South Memphis and Downtown. Residents are worried about abandoned houses, high...

Tamara Mitchell-Ford was arrested in Collierville Tuesday night for driving under the influence and driving with a revoked license. It's the second time this year Mitchell-Ford, the ex-wife of former state senator John Ford, has been arrested in the suburb for drinking and driving. A Collierville police officer pulled Mitchell-Ford over on a routine traffic stop between 8 and 9 p.m. Tuesday on Poplar near Houston Levee, said Lt. Mike Moore. The police report wasn't completed late Tuesday so details were sketchy. Moore didn't know if a field sobriety test was conducted. A child riding with her was picked up...

NASHVILLE — While some national Democratic figures are getting rid of contributions collected from Norman Hsu, the Tennessee Democratic party and Harold Ford Jr. have no such plans. Hsu, who a major donor and fundraiser Democratic causes, was jailed last week in California on fraud charges dating back almost 15 years. The Tennessee Democratic party received $58,000 from Hsu last year — $38,000 to the party’s fund for state campaigns and $20,000 to the party’s fund for federal campaigns. Ford received $14,700 in three contributions during 2005 and 2006. Other Democrats, including presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have...

A day after he was sentenced to 51/2 years in prison, former state senator John Ford and his newly appointed attorney were already working on an appeal. Ford asked a judge Wednesday to order taxpayers to finance copies of trial transcripts needed for his expected appeal -- a request that could cost $8,000 or more. The filing seeks a speedy production of the transcripts and signals that Ford will ask for a seldom-granted bond that would keep him out of prison until the appeal is resolved. "Every case is different,'' said Ford's new attorney, Robert C. Brooks, sizing up his...

Ford family has long flexed political clout in Memphis

Judge not convinced Ford truly believes he did anything wrong - John Ford was sentenced to 66 months in prison this morning for his April conviction of accepting $55,000 in bribes in the FBI's Tennessee Waltz public corruption investigation. U.S. Dist. Court Judge J. Daniel Breen carefully noted his interpretation of advisory federal guidelines that suggest enhanced punishment for factors such as the amount and number of bribes, threatening witnesses, acceptance of responsibility and the fact that Ford was an elected official. The judge said he was not convinced that Ford truly believes he did anything wrong and that the...

Character witnesses testifying on John Ford's behalf asked a federal judge this afternoon to show leniency in sentencing the former state senator. Ford, 65, who was convicted in April of taking $55,000 in bribes, faces up to 10 years in prison. His defense says the amount should be no more than a year or two. "He's a fun guy and hard working," said retired state representative Alvin King. "You could depend on John. He was the go-to person. He was an outstanding legislator. He got a lot of things passed." Turning to U.S. Dist. Court Judge J. Daniel Breen, King...

Memphis City Councilman Edmund Ford agreed this morning to drop a lawsuit seeking to force his funeral home landlord to sign a sales agreement. Ford also agreed to leave the property on Elvis Presley Boulevard in 45 days. Attorney Handel Durham, who represents Ford, said his client will seek a new location for the E. H. Ford Mortuary Services he has operated the past 12 years, including the last three at the present location. The settlement with landlord Dennis Churchwell was announced in Chancery Court where a hearing was to be held before Chancellor Kenny Armstrong. "He’s not out of...

First, John Ford wore the $70,000 Rolex watch, showing off the diamond-encrusted timepiece to his friends, including one undercover federal agent. Then the feds took possession of the watch and are now hoping to keep it, claiming the Rolex was an "ill-gotten gain" received through criminal activities. Now, add another person to the list of people who covet the watch. Ford's ex-wife said Sunday that she plans to sue to keep the watch, claiming her ex-husband promised the Rolex three years ago in lieu of child-support payments. "When it comes down to that watch, I want to know how somebody...

For the second time in a handful of months, State Senator Ophelia Ford was transported to the hospital after calling 911. The fire department confirmed they transported a patient to Methodist Central following complaints she was having trouble breathing. A neighbor confirmed to FOX13 that it was, in fact, Ford who was taken.

MEMPHIS — Federal prosecutors are trying to keep a diamond-studded Rolex wristwatch seized from former Sen. John Ford before he was convicted of bribery in the Tennessee Waltz corruption investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a complaint filed Tuesday in federal court that Ford got the watch valued at $70,000 from a Memphis developer through bribery and it should be forfeited to the government. The Rolex “constitutes or is derived from proceeds of an offense constituting ’specified unlawful activity’ ... or a conspiracy to commit such an offense, specifically bribery,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher E. Cotten wrote in the...

The minute the words came out of his mouth, they were splashed across local media Web sites and gained instant notoriety in Memphis. "Don't make me your punk," City Councilman Edmund Ford allegedly told fellow council member Carol Chumney in a heated meeting March 6. The remark came during a nearly 18-minute rant by Ford as the council debated Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division's handling of Ford's long overdue accounts. The "punk" comment was widely quoted in the media, including in the pages of this newspaper, and inspired a series of coffee mugs, T-shirts and, yes, even a "Don't...

John Ford wasn’t expected. In spring 2004, an undercover FBI agent posing as a corrupt businessman bribed state Rep. Kathryn Bower to arrange a "leadership dinner" with elected officials in Nashville, said FBI agent Brian Burns, the first prosecution witness called this morning on the third day of the former state senator’s bribery trial. The FBI agent, going by the name L.C. McNeil, wanted to meet lawmakers who would be willing to draft and change legislation in the Tennessee General Assembly in exchange for cash payments. The federal government was investigating "systemic corruption" in state government. Acting as executives of...

Defeat’s been kind to Harold Ford Jr.

MEMPHIS — A city councilman facing federal corruption charges says he is being unfairly criticized for thousands of dollars in unpaid utility bills. Edmund Ford's unpaid bills have totaled more than $16,000 and become the focus of citywide criticism of the public utility Memphis Light Gas and Water. Ford's bills drew attention last month when they were subpoenaed by a federal grand jury. Ford is under indictment on corruption charges involving a private real estate project that required city council approval. It is unclear if the utility bills have anything to do with his federal prosecution. After the utility bills...