Former Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. Sentenced to Two Years in Federal Prison

Former Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for tax evasion tied to county grant money.

U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Parker handed down the 24-month sentence on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at the Odell Horton Federal Building in downtown Memphis. Ford will also serve two years of supervised release, and restitution will be set later. There is no parole in the federal system.

The case. Ford, 47, pleaded guilty in February to five counts of tax evasion covering 2018 through 2022. Federal prosecutors say he failed to report $310,743 in income to the IRS, costing it $110,604.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says that money came from nonprofits that received Shelby County Commission grants. In many cases, Ford sponsored or voted for those grants. The nonprofits then used part of the money to buy computer equipment from a business he controlled, E&J Computer Services and Repair.

Ford was indicted in February 2025 on bribery and tax evasion charges. Prosecutors dropped the bribery charges when he took the plea deal, FOX13 reported. Under that agreement, he resigned from the commission and can never again hold public office in Tennessee.

In court. Ford's attorney, Michael Scholl, asked for home confinement and community service. Prosecutors asked for 24 months.

The judge reviewed more than 50 letters of support for Ford. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, he expressed frustration that several were written by current elected officials on city or county letterhead. "This case is about corruption," the judge said, according to Action News 5.

Ford addressed the court before he was sentenced. "I also want to make sure that I begin by accepting full responsibility for all of my actions," he said. "I am deeply sorry for the harm that I have caused."

Afterward, Scholl said the defense was "not really pleased" with the sentence but respects the judge's decision.

What's next. The court is expected to enter its judgment in about 45 days, then an amended judgment once restitution is settled.

Sources: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee, Action News 5, FOX13 Memphis and The Daily Memphian.

Photo: "Federal Building Main St Memphis TN 01" by Thomas R Machnitzki, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 3.0. Cropped and resized from the original.