Federal indictment charges Shelby County Commissioner Ford Jr. with bribery, attempted tax evasion
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. pleaded not guilty to a seven-count federal indictment Friday morning.
That indictment charged Ford Jr. with one count of bribery and kickbacks concerning programs receiving federal funds and six counts of attempting to evade or defeat taxes.
Ford Jr. received a $25,000 bond and a judge ordered the Shelby County Commissioner to surrender his passport and have no contact with five other people named in the indictment. He was granted unsupervised release.
FOX13 cameras were at the federal courthouse as Ford Jr., accompanied by his father, Edmund Ford Sr., and his attorney, Michael Scholl, entered the federal courthouse around 9:30 a.m.
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Ford Sr. told FOX13 that his son had been indicted on federal charges. FOX13 obtained a copy of that indictment. The first charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $100,000 with three years of supervised release. The tax evasion charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release.
The Chairman of the County Board of Commissioners, Michael G. Whaley, released a statement on Ford Jr.’s arrest, saying:
“The news involving Commissioner Edmund Ford, Jr., if proven true, is disheartening. At this time, the Shelby County Board of Commissioners shall defer to the legal process. Be assured that we take ethics and our responsibility to the citizens of Shelby County seriously. I am currently sponsoring an ordinance to amend our local ethics rules and protocol for the Shelby County Ethics Commission to increase its functionality. We will continue to faithfully serve the public in carrying out our duties.”
The charges in the indictment against Ford Jr. are related to an ethics probe that FOX13 has been following for years.
In May 2023, FBI agents conducted a search of Ford Jr.’s Whitehaven home. At that time, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris’ office sent FOX13 the following statement.
“Mayor Harris had no prior knowledge of the search warrant served on Commissioner Ford. However, everyone, including Mr. Ford, is entitled to the presumption of innocence. Also, I would like to note that the Mayor has been working for some time to advance a series of local reforms and breathe new life into the County’s Ethics Ordinance. Getting serious about these efforts seems more important now than ever. Additional details, if any, about this current investigation will have to come from the investigating agencies.”
In March 2021, FOX13 reported on allegations that Ford Jr. was accused of pushing for a $450,000 grant for a nonprofit that he allegedly sold computers to.
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