MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. had his first report date in federal court Thursday morning after being arrested nearly a week ago. Ford Jr. is facing bribery and six attempted tax evasion charges.
In a 17-page indictment, Ford Jr. allegedly used his public office to secure grant funds for several non-profits and then received payments from those organizations in exchange for laptops from his business.
While in court, prosecutors said they had 80,000 pages of evidence against Ford Jr. along with 512 GB of digital files. That is when Ford Jr.’s attorney, Michael Scholl, asked for the next report date to be 60 days out so that he could access the files.
Court documents say the discovery includes investigative reports, video evidence, phone records, witness statements, and financial records.
The Judge suggested a possible trial date in August; however, Scholl says he can’t pinpoint a trial date until after he’s assessed the discovery.
This comes after Ford Jr. turned himself into federal custody last Friday. He entered a not-guilty plea and was placed on a $25,000 bond.
The Shelby County Mayor’s Office requested to pause Ford Jr.’s grant-making during the federal prosecution. He was then placed on administrative leave from his job with the library services.
In a statement, Mayor Lee Harris said, “his [Ford Jr.] continued grant-making as a commissioner unnecessarily taints the process and undermines the credibility of this Commission program and the non-profits who participate.”
After court, Edmund Ford Sr. sent a warning to Harris saying, “Mayor better be careful. He’s the one,” in regards to the statements the mayor had made about Ford Jr.’s involvement in the grant-making process.
Ford Sr. didn’t elaborate on what he meant when he said, “He’s the one.”
On Wednesday, Ford Jr. attended his first commissioners meeting since the federal indictment. He spoke on several issues during the meeting but stepped out when commissioners spoke on advocating for reform.
“Audit the funds that are provided by the county, such as if they match the descriptions of the project that were approved. It can be that simple, which really shouldn’t overburden the entity itself. It will be more of an issue for the independent auditors that they will contract with as a 501c3,” Commissioner Michael Whaley said.
“If we have an issue, state the issue – don’t try to save face about something that doesn’t need to be saved,” Commissioner Henri Brooks said.
Scholl says these decisions are a rush to judgment.
“He hasn’t been found guilty of anything, and that’s part of the process is that that person’s innocent unless they’re proven guilty, and we’re going to defend Mr. Ford’s innocence as strongly as we possibly can,” Scholl said.
Scholl says despite any scrutiny, the Shelby County Commissioner is in good spirits and plans to continue doing the job he was voted in to do.
“I think he’ll proceed forward like he always has in an honorable and a just way and an honest way,” Scholl said.
The court granted the defense 60 days to review the evidence. Edmund Ford Jr.’s next court date is scheduled for May 13.