City places Edmund Ford, Jr. on leave without pay, official confirms
Gabriel Huff
“As of March 3, Edmund Ford, Jr. has been placed on administrative leave without pay,” a City of Memphis official said.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Edmund Ford Jr. has been placed on leave from his city job after turning himself in to federal authorities the previous week.
“As of March 3, Edmund Ford, Jr. has been placed on administrative leave without pay,” a City of Memphis official said.
According to the city’s employment information, Ford worked as the senior financial literacy coordinator for the city’s library services with an annual salary of over $85,000.
In regards to his status as a Shelby County commissioner, Ford is not on leave due to being an elected official, according to a Shelby County Board spokesperson.
“However, as stated by [Board of Commissioners] Chairman [Michael] Whaley in his media statement, he is sponsoring an ordinance to amend our local ethics rules and protocol for the Shelby County Ethics Commission to increase its functionality,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also shared the following statement from Whaley regarding actions toward Ford:
“I am meeting with the mayor and other officials this week to determine what actions can be taken by the Commission to ensure the integrity of the program.”
This all comes after Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris requested the Shelby County Commission to pause Edmund Ford Jr.’s grant making abilities.
The indictment released Friday reads that Ford was charged with one count of bribery and kickbacks, six counts of attempts to evade or defeat tax.
“From 2016 to 2018, when Ford Jr. served as the Budget Chair for the Memphis City Council, grants were awarded to nonprofit organizations through an application process,” the indictment reads. “E&J Computer Services and Repair was a business operated by Ford Jr. and other members of his family. E&J Computer Services and Repair deposited over $250,000 in its bank account from various nonprofits from 2017 to 2021. Each of these nonprofits received Memphis City Council and/or Shelby County Commission community grants while Ford Jr. served in office.”
The indictment reads that another business operated by Ford Jr., Precise Solutions and Consulting, LLC was a business entity operated by Ford Jr. which described its services as real estate buying, selling and consulting. That company also received money from nonprofits that received grant funds from Shelby County, according to the indictment.
The indictment reads that while Ford Jr. was a member of the Memphis City Council and Shelby County Commission, he used his public office to secure grant funding for three nonprofit organizations, received payments from those three nonprofits for the purchase of laptops.
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