Former Sen. Ford found guilty of taking bribes
Former Sen. John Ford, 64, was convicted of taking $55,000 in cash from what appeared to be a computer recycling outfit but was actually an FBI front company.
A statewide investigation code-named Tennessee Waltz was built around the fake company, E-Cycle Management.
Ford, a prominent member of one of Tennessee?s most active political families, is to be sentenced July 31 and faces a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines, though federal guidelines will call for a lighter punishment.
Another former state senator convicted last year on a similar Tennessee Waltz bribery charge drew a five-year prison term.
Ford, who left the courthouse surrounded by family members, will appeal, defense attorney Michael Scholl said.
?We fought for Mr. Ford?s innocence and we?re going to keep fighting,? Scholl said.
The jury, which began its deliberations Wednesday, acquitted Ford on three counts of intimidating federal witnesses and failed to reach a verdict on an extortion charge.
U.S. Attorney David Kustoff said no decision had been made on taking Ford to trial again on the extortion charge.
?The bottom line is, as of today, John Ford is a convicted felon,? Kustoff said
Ford was one of five current or former state lawmakers charged in the Waltz investigation in 2005 and the ensuing scandal led to a special session of the state Legislature to pass ethics reform laws.
Ford, the uncle of former congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr., was the most prominent of the Tennessee Waltz defendants, but Kustoff said all of the prosecutions ?are equally important.?
The prosecution?s case against Ford depended heavily on secretly recorded video clips showing the Memphis Democrat stuffing his pockets with $100 bills counted out one-by-one by an undercover FBI agent.
The defense argued that Ford was set up by the FBI and thought he was being paid as a business consultant, even though he got that payment in cash.
Prosecutors, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim DiScenza, played video clips for the jury showing eight separate meetings between Ford and undercover agent L.C. McNiel at which stacks of cash changed hands.
Jurors also listened to dozens of undercover audio recordings on which Ford and McNiel talked about E-Cycle?s desire to change state law for a business advantage.
Ford did not testify at the trial, and Scholl focused the defense on trying to discredit government witnesses. He accused undercover agents of lying to Ford and enticing him with expensive nights on the town and trips to Miami.