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The man on the grainy black and white video tape peels off $10,000 from his wad of cash, $100 at a time, then passes it across state Sen. John Ford's desk. Idle chatter about shopping and women eventually gives way to Ford discussing how he'll push an electronic equipment recycling bill through the Senate for an interested company. But the man passing out the cash is an undercover FBI agent and the company is a sham. The tape starring the controversial Memphis Democrat debuted in federal court Friday as prosecutors fought to keep Ford in custody, and gave an early...

NASHVILLE -- From a morning of shock and confusion, most legislators on Thursday seemed to move into an afternoon and evening of being sad and stunned, but rather resolute, about putting the 2005 session behind them quickly. That means enacting a $25.7 billion state budget for the coming year -- today if things go according to plan -- and settling remaining differences over TennCare. It likely will not include any further action on major ethics legislation. As they settled back into something resembling normal routine late Thursday, almost all legislators had something to say or tales to tell about the...

Yesterday was a heart-sickening day on the Hill. Those who broke the law and are found guilty should be punished to the full extent of the law. However, the ugly part of this is how it will feed the public perception of "all those politician are just crooks." There are many men and women in the General Assembly to serve with integrity and honor. It makes me terribly sad that they will be tarred with the same brush. We pray for all involved. Below are links to the indictments, information on the Hobbs Act, links to various newspaper reports and...

A federal magistrate set bond for state Sen. John Ford at $20,000, but although he’ll be free, he won’t have much freedom. Ford faces charges of accepting bribes from a fake FBI compnay, then threatening to shoot potential witnesses against him. Prosecutors then filed a notice of appeal with U.S. Dist. Judge Daniel Breen, who has offices in Memphis and Jackson, Tenn. Breen wouldn’t grant a stay for prosecutors, instead releasing Ford, who is under house arrest. Family members gathered in the basement of the federal building let out big cheers and "hallelujahs" at the news that he would be...

Lawmakers taken into custody by federal, state agents May 26, 2005 ‘Tennessee Waltz’ nabs six with one more arrest expected Updated: May 26, 12:29 p.m. An unprecedented FBI white-collar sting on four state lawmakers, one former lawmaker and two others brought Tennessee into the national spotlight Thursday as a host of politicians were arrested by state and federal agents on allegations of bribery and extortion. Operation Tennessee Waltz, a two-year investigation spawned by a citizen tip, included agents in Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville who formed a fake company and enticed these suspects into allegedly taking bribes to sell surplus computers...

A state senator already under scrutiny for ethical allegations, was indicted today on bribery charges along with three lawmakers, a former lawmaker and two others in a federal probe of his business dealings. Tennessee state Sen. John Ford, a Memphis Democrat from a powerful political family, is charged with the five others for taking bribes from undercover investigators to influence legislation concerning a sham company set up by the FBI. Ford and former state Sen. Roscoe Dixon appeared in federal court today handcuffed and shackled at the ankles, according to The Tennessean newspaper. "He's shocked as you can imagine," Ford's...

May 26, 2005 Legislators’ Court Arraignment and end of Session TeamGOP.org had one of its crack reporters at the arraignment of State Senator Ward Crutchfield, State Senator Kathryn Bowers and State Representative Chris Newton in Nashville. The forty minute hearing began just after noon to a packed courtroom in front of US Magistrate Judge Brown. All three defendants walked in the courtroom handcuffed and each were arraigned separately. Senator Kathryn Bowers seemed somewhat confused and distraught. She said she did not have a lawyer there present with her and did not understand what was going on. She stated, “I don’t...

THE STENCH IN TENNESSEE By Michelle Malkin   ·   May 26, 2005 02:33 PM Hot political story of the day is out of the Volunteer State. Huge FBI corruption sting--dubbed "Operation Tennessee Waltz"--has resulted in the arrest of four state legislators, including the uncle of recently announced Dem U.S. Senate candidate Harold Ford. State legislator John Ford apparently threatened to kill an undercover FBI agent. (Indictments posted in full at Newschannel 5.) Another arrested was state legislator Kathryn Bowers, chairman of the Memphis-area Democratic Party.There's one Republican in the bunch. More arrests expected.

Seven, Including Four State Lawmakers Arrested in Bribery Scheme Memphis, TN - Federal authorities arrested four Tennessee state legislators, a former state legislator and two others Thursday (5/26) as part of a corruption probe into the business dealings of state Senator John Ford of Memphis. At a news conference in Memphis, authorities said those arrested are Ford; Senator Kathryn Bowers of Memphis; Senator Ward Crutchfield of Chattanooga; Representative Chris Newton of Cleveland; and Roscoe Dixon, a former senator who is now a top aide to Shelby County Mayor A. C .Wharton. Also charged were Charles Love and Barry Myers....

Four Tennessee lawmakers, a former lawmaker and two others were indicted Thursday amid a federal investigation into the business dealings of a state senator from Memphis from a powerful political family, officials said. Those charged included the senator, John Ford; fellow Sens. Kathryn Bowers and Ward Crutchfield; state Rep. Chris Newton; and former state Sen.Roscoe Dixon. Newton is a Republican and the others are Democrats.Federal authorities said during a news conference Thursday that the charges were extortion and accepting bribes following a two-year undercover operation dubbed "Tennessee Waltz." The grand jury returned the indictments in Memphis. Ford has been under...

<p>Bowers (D), Crutchfield (D) and a Republican (I didn't get the name) led away in handcuffs this morning from Capital Hill. It has something to do with the ethics reform and that nasty Democrat John Ford from what I hear. I am trying to get some more info... I will link it as soon as I can.</p>

Capitol Hill Corruption: Federal Agents Arrest Four Legislators Posted: 5/26/2005 9:28:00 AM Updated: 5/26/2005 10:23:07 AM Thursday morning, federal officials arrested four Tennessee legislators in Nashville. Agents arrested Sen. Ward Crutchfield, (D) Chattanooga; Sen. John Ford, (D) Memphis; Sen. Kathryn Bowers, (D) Memphis; Rep. Chris Newton, (R) Cleveland. Agents also arrested former Memphis senator Roscoe Dixon, who now works for the Shelby County mayor’s office. There may be additional arrests. Federal agents on Capitol Hill said they were waiting for someone else. The legislators were arrested on sealed indictments handed down by a federal grand jury in Memphis. Sources said...

NASHVILLE - State Sen. John Ford sharply criticized Wednesday both a state board that fined him $10,000 earlier in the day and Gov. Phil Bredesen, who said he will talk to the TBI about Ford's contacting him on a TennCare contract. Ford said the Registry of Election Finance was applying "a double standard" by levying a penalty against him for using $15,320 in campaign funds to pay part of his daughter's wedding expenses last year. He said the "stupid" decision will be appealed. Ford said Bredesen had made "two or three statements about me that are totally untrue. "I'm not...

NASHVILLE (AP) -- The Tennessee Registry of Election Finance has found Sen. John Ford guilty of fraudulently using political campaign funds. The vote was 4-3. At a hearing Wednesday which Ford didn't attend, the Registry also fined him $10,000 for using campaign money on his daughter's wedding. The Memphis Democrat told the election finance board the spending was legal because roughly one-third of the wedding attendees lived in his Senate district. This marks the first official sanction against Ford in a recent swarm of ethical allegations. One of Ford's lawyers, Ed Yarbrough, said he would talk to his client before...

  State Sen. John Ford urged the state to increase business with a company from which he received more than $420,000 in consulting fees, Gov. Phil Bredesen said Wednesday. Ford (D-Memphis), who is facing a federal grand jury investigation and ethics charges because of his ties to several TennCare contractors, received as much as $10,000 per month from managed-care organization OmniCare up until March 11, according to documents submitted to the state last month. Ford, at some point, spoke with the governor about the number of enrollees on the company’s rolls, Bredesen said. “I know that he has argued with...

As per complaing only THIS LINK is provided. The jist of the article is that Rep. Mike Turner (D-Old Hickory) has publicly stated that Sen. John Ford (D-Memphis) has become such an embarrassment to the members of the Senate and House that he is making the all look like crooks. On the flip side of the coin, Senate Ethics Committe cahiarman Ron Ramsey (RINO-Blountville) has said, "''I think (Turner) crossed the line for saying it,''". Ramsey is one of two RINOs that voted for DEMOCRAT John Wilder to be the Speaker of the Senate. John Ford has stated in sworn...

Democrat Lawmaker Says Ford Should Resign Posted: 4/7/2005 7:39:00 PM Updated: 4/7/2005 8:34:36 PM He's facing a criminal investigation and a growing ethics scandal. Now, another lawmaker says it's time for powerful state Sen. John Ford to go. It's the first official call for his resignation, and it's coming from someone in Ford's own party. It follows the latest revelation from our NewsChannel 5 investigation. The Senate chairman already faced criticism for accepting $237,000 in consulting fees from a company with ties to TennCare. Then, our investigation revealed how millions of dollars from other TennCare companies flowed through an insurance...

The investigation of state Senator John Ford has taken a dramatic new turn. Thursday morning, the Senate's Ethics Committee voted to appoint special counsel to investigate the powerful Senate chairman--something that has never been done before. But ethics committee members said the swirl of questions surrounding the Memphis Democrat had become so intense that they felt they had to act. The focus: whether Ford sold his influence through high-dollar consulting deals. In fact, the vote to appoint a special counsel was unanimous with the motion coming from a fellow Democrat, Goodlettsville Senator Joe Haynes. Members said they want to know...

Is a mortuary a home? It may seem like a silly question, but it's not when one considers that state Sen. John Ford, D-Memphis, lists the address of N.J. Ford & Sons Funeral Parlor, his family's business, on his voter registration. The funeral home is within his sprawling District 29. We're pleased to see that the state Senate has decided to consider exactly what determines a political candidate's home address. State GOP Chairman Bob Davis brought up the issue of Ford's residency late last month when he asked state officials if Ford is meeting residency requirements. His question came after...

PORTLAND -- Long before he changed his name and became a famous film director, John Ford was baptized at St. Dominic's Roman Catholic Church in Portland and lived on Munjoy Hill. He was known as John Martin Feeney when he served as an altar boy at St. Dominic's. In Hollywood, he won an armful of Oscars for classic films such as "The Informer" (1935), "Stagecoach" (1939), "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940) and "The Quiet Man" (1952). While Ford's name inspires awe among movie buffs, recognition of his roots here in Portland has been relatively skimpy, but for a bronze statue...