John Ford's Troubled Past

The Tennessean lists the most notorious of Senator John Ford's troubles with the law:

• Controversy: In October 1990, Ford was charged with shooting at a trucker on Interstate 40 near Lexington. He was indicted and pleaded not guilty.

  Outcome: In a jury trial the next year, he was acquitted.

• Controversy: Memphis utility workers in 1997 accused the senator of threatening them with a loaded shotgun. Apparently, Ford became angry when the crew from Memphis Light, Gas and Water parked their vehicles in his driveway, making it difficult for his wife to exit in her car.

  Outcome: The senator was placed on pretrial diversion and completed 250 hours of community service.

  
  

• Controversy:In 2003, a survey of Ford's Federal Express charges on his state
  account revealed that he had used the account to send numerous personal
  packages.

  Outcome: Ford apologized and agreed to pay $1,300 in reimbursement.

  
  

• Controversy:
  Ford was ac-cused earlier this year of receiving a $15,000 contract
  from Johnson Controls, a major electronics manufacturer. Johnson
  Controls, based in Wisconsin, paid Ford a one-time consulting fee in
  September 2001 to help the company obtain energy-efficiency contracts
  for state buildings in 2003.

  Outcome: The matter remains
  under examination by the Senate Ethics Committee. A report from the
  state attorney general's office, which was delivered to the Senate
  yesterday, said Johnson Controls had turned over its contract with Ford
  to investigators.

  
  

• Controversy: Ford was ac-cused earlier
  this year of using campaign funds to pay for his daughter's wedding
  reception in 2003. Ford spent $15,320, claiming it was a legitimate
  election expense because 100 of his constituents were invited to the
  reception. The state Registry of Election Finance ruled the expenditure
  improper and fined him $10,000 this month.

  Outcome: After
  the fine was announced, Ford said he would appeal. According to the
  state Registry of Election Finance, the senator has not yet appealed
  the ruling. By law, Ford has 14 days from the time he receives an
  official letter of notification from the state. The letter was mailed
  out this week.

• Controversy: Information emerged earlier
  this year that Doral Dental, which holds a TennCare dental benefits
  management contract, paid Pennsylvania-based Managed Care Services
  Group Inc. $40,000 a month for about two years. Ford is a partner in a
  similarly named company with the same address. On his tax returns, Ford
  reported that a company called "Managed Care Services Group 1" paid him
  more than $237,000 in 2002 and 2003.

  Outcome: A state
  attorney general's report issued yesterday said two former Doral
  executives exchanged an e-mail in 2002 that said, "According to Senator
  Ford, the deal is progressing nicely and it will be ours. … Please keep
  the existence of this arrangement confidential."

  
  

• Controversy:
  During a January 2005 hearing in a child-support lawsuit brought by a
  North Carolina woman with whom Ford fathered a daughter, the senator
  claimed he should not have to pay more than $500 per month in support
  for the 10-year-old girl. It was at this hearing that Ford said he
  lived in two separate homes with two women whose children he fathered.
  Neither of the homes is in his Senate district.

  Outcome: The suit is pending.

Posted on Sunday at 10:27 AM in category Ford, John
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