Posted on 04/18/2007 7:43:25 AM PDT by SmithL
They were fast friends. John Ford and L.C. McNeil shopped together, vacationed together and shared financial tips and news bits -- even shared girlfriends.
"What's mine is yours,'' Ford told his pal when offering him a date with one of his longtime girlfriends.
But Ford was duped. McNeil isn't real -- he was a character played by an undercover FBI agent investigating Ford, then a state senator, in a corruption probe.
Over parts of two weeks, that agent and Ford have stared at one another -- the agent on the witness stand and the Memphis Democrat in a defendant's chair -- during Ford's federal bribery trial.
Testifying under his code name, agent McNeil has become the star witness against Ford, 64, who's accused of taking $55,000 in bribes in the Tennessee Waltz undercover sting.
And for the last two days it's been McNeil who's been on trial. Under cross examination, defense lawyer Michael Scholl has tried to portray the 11-year FBI veteran as a lying, overzealous and at times frightening agent.
"You were building up his trust weren't you?'' Scholl asked Tuesday during one testy exchange as he tried to convince jurors Ford was a legitimate business consultant entrapped in the Waltz sting.
McNeil seldom yielded any ground, including when Scholl asked the agent if he knew Ford was a consultant who was paid to provide business advice.
"I know he was a state legislator who accepted money for legislation,'' McNeil answered as Ford turned away and shook his head.
The bald and solidly built agent has been on the stand for four days now as prosecutors and the defense wage a war of tapes. Together, both sides have played more than 100 undercover tapes in trying to prove their cases. The vast majority of those video and audio tapes involve one-on-one conversations between Ford and McNeil.
Those tapes show that while initially cautious, Ford came to trust McNeil, a onetime Los Angeles police officer and minister who studied at Oral Roberts University before joining the FBI in 1996. McNeil specializes in undercover operations and teaches a course on it to other agents.
Testimony in the trial shows another undercover agent, who is white, was assigned to track the Waltz's East Tennessee leads, while McNeil, who is black, took Memphis, where Ford and other African-American politicians became subjects of the probe.
McNeil has a cover story -- he was a successful music and movie score producer -- and he refers to others on tapes as "cat,'' and "doctor,'' and signs off on phone calls with a word -- peace.
According to his cover story, McNeil has diversified as the co-owner of a computer recycling firm, E-Cycle Mangement. The firm was seeking government contracts, and McNeil finds Ford to be the perfect foil.
Their mutual interest in women and the good life drew them close. On tapes they go shopping for clothes and luxury automobiles, and spend time together in Miami, where Ford allegedly took a $5,000 payment for pushing legislation to help E-Cycle.
Like a couple of fraternity brothers, they engage in regular banter over the phone.
"Hey, hey,'' Ford tells McNeil in a Dec. 13, 2004, phone call as they finalize plans for a second Miami trip. "Line us up with some fine bitches down there.''
Appearing to be in his late 30s, the handsome, mostly expressionless agent speaks from the stand in a soft, deliberate tone that's been difficult to shake.
Trying to show the lengths the FBI went to make its case against Ford, defense lawyer Scholl played 30 or more tapes Wednesday and then peppered McNeil with questions.
Scholl asked pointedly at one point why McNeil took Ford to an expensive Miami nightclub, Crowbar's, and set him up in a VIP room.
"Senator Ford considered himself a VIP,'' the agent replied.
"You guys were making him a VIP," Sholl shot back.
"No," McNeil said, standing his ground, "he considered himself one before he came down to Miami.''
Looks like another undercover agent is now our of work, thanks to the MSM...
I just saw that POS on his way to lunch. He had his posse of female hangerons with him. I WAS NOT impressed. Just wondered how he’s going to look in prison issue kit.
Hey does this mean that John Ford, (Harold Ford Sr’s bother, Harold Ford Jrs uncle, Ophelia Ford’s brother) is actually in court, FINALLY for the TN Waltz FBI thingy?
Months after Chris Newton (R) from SE TN is out of prison after finishing his sentence for the $1000 he got and the rest are still in prison or out again?
Took long enough...
Hope theres no “mistrial” like his 1990 bank fraud trial that Clinton got him out of..........
He’s a Democrat...
Harold Ford Jrs uncle...
Ooooooooooo
Silly me I forgot........
Uncle John Ford was too busy managing the campaign of Jakie Ford...
Harold Jrs little brother was running to take Harolds US House seat cause Harold was running to win the old US Senate seat of Bill Frist...
(Republican Bob Corker won the Senate seat)
and little Jakie lost too)
Ophelia Ford is the only Ford in TN politics at present though shes been in and out and in again to Nashville...
When John was charged with the TN Waltz thingy, he had to step down and Ophelia won his seat in a special election, in Sept 2005 There were some funny things about the election and in April 2006 it was proven that all kinds of voters were not eligible had voted for Ophelia. People in MS, illegal aliens, dead folks and other nice voters had put her into her brothers spot in Nashville. There was another election, and another win for Ophelia...ROFL
Chris Newton is home again after completing his sentence in GA....
Well, we can be sure of one thing, he won’t have LADY friends hanging on to him...
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