How Government Gangsters Corrupted Memphis and Shelby County’s New Era of Government (Part 1)

By: Political Affairs Staff on March 4, 2025

MEMPHIS, TN – A Deeply Entrenched Culture of Corruption

The term “Government Gangsters,” popularized by FBI Director Kash Patel in his compelling book with the same title, describes a network of corrupt politicians and their enablers who operate beyond accountability. As Patel warned about the “rise of misplaced power,” Memphis has become a textbook example, with Edmund Ford Jr. at the center of a vast pay-to-play operation that has flourished for years without consequences.

Now, with Ford Jr. under federal indictment for bribery and tax evasion, the walls are closing in on a political machine that includes the Memphis City Council, Shelby County Commission, and both Mayor Paul Young and Mayor Lee Harris—all of whom stayed silent, supported Ford, and even hired him despite knowing he was under FBI investigation.

This scandal isn’t just about one man—it exposes the deep-rooted corruption in Memphis and Shelby County’s leadership. 

A Master of Corruption, Playing Both Sides of Government

For years, Edmund Ford Jr. manipulated both the Memphis City Council and the Shelby County Commission, ensuring that his influence remained intact. Despite being under active FBI investigation, he managed to:

• Secure a taxpayer-funded job under new Memphis Mayor Paul Young, who hired him as Senior Financial Literacy Coordinator for the Library Services Division, earning $82,766.32 per year.
• Influence and oversee multimillion-dollar grants at both the city and county levels, allegedly steering funds toward his friends and political allies while blocking more deserving organizations from receiving funding.
• Maintain control over the More for Memphis scheme, an allegedly fraudulent $1.4 billion dollar ordinance intended to funnel money into the hands of his political donors who funded insiders like himself, JB Smiley, and several members of the Memphis City Council and Shelby County Commissioners.

Despite clear conflicts of interest and ethical concerns, both Mayor Young and Mayor Harris remained silent—leading many to ask:

Did they knowingly support Ford’s actions, or were they hesitant to challenge the historically entrenched Democratic political machine in Memphis?

A Broken Ethics System: No Oversight, No Accountability

Had Memphis implemented meaningful ethics enforcement, Ford’s corruption could have been stopped years ago. Instead:

• The Shelby County Ethics Commission is a toothless organization, serving more as a rubber-stamp agency than a real watchdog.
• Filing an ethics complaint against a Memphis city official is an exercise in futility, with no real mechanism for accountability.
• Even with full knowledge of Ford’s FBI investigation, his colleagues allowed him to continue overseeing taxpayer funds without consequence.

Without serious ethics reform, Memphis and Shelby County will remain vulnerable to corruption.

Memphis Mayor Paul Young’s Questionable Leadership

Mayor Paul Young has already begun his administration under a cloud of controversy.

• Not only did Young hire Ford Jr. despite the FBI investigation, but he also used taxpayer dollars to fight public records requests about grant funds allocated to his political allies.
• Young’s administration is paying local attorney Rodrick Holmes to adamantly fight public records requests into allegations he has given millions of grant funds to his friends,  raising concerns about what Young doesn’t want the public to see.

Critics of Mayor Young ask, if he has nothing to hide, why is he using public money to fight records requests?

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris Ignored FBI Warnings About Ford Jr.

Two years ago, when the FBI launched its investigation into Ford Jr., Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris publicly stated that Ford should not be overseeing grants.

But what did he actually do?

• Nothing. He allowed Ford to continue managing millions in taxpayer funds.
• Only after Ford’s federal indictment did Harris reiterate his concerns—too little, too late.

If Harris knew Ford was unfit to oversee grants, why did he fail to act before federal authorities stepped in?

The $5M Reparations Grant: A Handout to Ford’s Friends

Despite public protest before Shelby County Commissioners during their public meetings by other nonprofits, nine months ago, Shelby County Commissioners and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris knew Ford was under FBI investigation yet still allowed him to control a $5 million reparations grant and single-handedly selected the organizations that received the funding. 

Where Did the Money Go?

During public meetings, community activists told Shelby County Commissioners that Ford personally selected the recipients, shutting out other deserving organizations. Yet the County Commission approved his recommendations largely without question.

The More for Memphis $1.4B Fraud: A Political Cover-Up

Shelby County Commissioner Michael Whaley drafted the More for Memphis ordinance, an alleged fraudulent effort to fabricate the existence of  $100 million in “secured” funding.

• The money never existed—the scheme was reportedly designed to funnel billions to the political donor of Whaley, Ford Jr., JB Smiley, and other political allies.
• Now that Ford has been arrested, Whaley is suddenly pushing for “stronger ethics.”

The $500M RICO Lawsuit: Memphis’ Corrupt Political Machine Exposed

Ford Jr. and JB Smiley worked together to push the More for Memphis ordinance through City Council, while at the same time receiving financial support from the More for Memphis associated political PAC- Tennessee Propers.

The $500 million RICO lawsuit filed against Memphis officials exposes:

• False financial data was used to justify the More for Memphis ordinance.
• Taxpayer money was intended to be funneled into the hands of political donors.
• City officials, including Smiley, actively misled the public about the ordinance’s true nature.

With Ford Jr. now facing federal charges, how many more will be implicated next?

Mayor Paul Young’s Welfare Check for Ford Jr.

As Ford Jr. faces federal charges, Mayor Paul Young ensured his ally got paid one last time.

• Young gave Ford a city job, paying him  $82,766.32 a year.
• Only after public backlash over Ford’s arrest did the city finally place him on unpaid leave.

How many more taxpayer-funded jobs are being handed out as political favors in Memphis?

Preventing the Next Government Gangster Takeover

The Ford Jr. scandal should serve as a wake-up call for Memphis and Shelby County. To stop future corruption, the city must:

1. Ensure independent oversight of all city and county grants—eliminating political favoritism in funding allocations.
2. Strengthen public records laws to prevent politicians from using taxpayer money to hide corruption.
3. Create a real Independent Ethics Commission with enforcement power.
4. Prevent taxpayer money from being used to create quasi-government organizations like More for Memphis, which function as shell entities to funnel funds to political donors.

How many more corrupt officials, backroom deals, and pay-to-play schemes will be exposed before Memphis and Shelby County finally break free from the grip of political corruption? The question is no longer if more will fall—it’s who’s next?

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