Wonder Whose Crying Now

Today for the first time I saw a shaken John Ford. Throughout this whole thing, he has remained calm almost to a fault. A lot of people felt he wasn't going to do any time. I guess he believed that as well. The best defense team in the world couldn't pull that off. I guess it finally dawned on him that he wasn't dealing with the South Memphis voters. Today from behind tears he stated that he couldn't do ten years in prison. Which he could possibly get. He hasn't even been to trial yet on the charges waiting in Nashville. Read below what his attorney had to say.


Ford's attorney argues pre-sentence report unfair

By Lawrence Buser (Contact)
Updated 02:09 p.m., August 27, 2007

John Ford's attorney argued this afternoon that a federal pre-sentence report was inaccurate and suggests a sentencing range that is too high for the former state senator's bribery conviction.


Ford, who was convicted in April of accepting $55,000 in bribes, legally faces up to 10 years in prison, but his defense says it should be limited to 27 to 33 months.

His attorney said the pre-sentence report, which is prepared by the federal probation office, is "skewed" in the government's favor.

"I would submit that the pre-sentence report reads like an FBI file," defense attorney Michael Scholl told U.S. Dist. Court Judge J. Daniel Breen. "I have a man who has no criminal record whatsoever."

Scholl, whose remarks came as the sentencing hearing began, has indicated he may call 10 or more witnesses, leaving some concern that the hearing may not be completed today.

Ford, 65, who was wearing a dark gray suit, also has federal charges pending in Nashville, where he is accused of failure to report some $800,000 from two health care firms for whom he worked as a consultant. He sat silently as his attorney argued his sentencing case.

Federal prosecutor Tim DiScenza argued that the pre-sentence report was accurate and that information tracked testimony from the trial.