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Putting Rep. Ford into context

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Illinois

* From the Sun-Times’ Madigan story…

“He just wanted to know if I was with him,” said West Side state Rep. La Shawn Ford. “And the point I made to him is that ‘If you say you’re innocent, then I’m with you.’”

* People who’ve been around a while will likely understand where Rep. Ford is coming from. Here’s a story from 2014…

The odds were undoubtedly stacked against state Rep. LaShawn Ford when federal prosecutors indicted him on felony bank fraud charges more than a year and a half ago.

The already sky-high conviction rate at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse rises to near 100 percent in recent years when it comes to public figures. The cases that are brought against elected officials are typically buttoned down tight, experts say. Little is left to chance.

But in a highly unusual move Monday, prosecutors agreed to drop all 17 felony charges against Ford in exchange for his guilty plea to a single misdemeanor tax count. […]

In pleading guilty to the misdemeanor, Ford admitted that in his 2007 tax return he over-reported what he spent to rehab a single-family house in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, reducing his capital gain from the sale of the home. The deception cost the Internal Revenue Service a tax loss of $3,782, according to the plea deal. […]

Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed last year by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. blamed the failure of the politically connected bank — known for lending in blighted neighborhoods — on poor risk management by its directors and officers. Although the collapse cost the FDIC more than half a billion dollars, none of the bank’s upper echelon of executives or directors was sued.

That misdemeanor was for a return he filed seven years earlier.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Jul 31, 20 @ 9:30 am

Comments

“Well he said he wasn’t guilty, how could I have known?”

Comment by Pearly Friday, Jul 31, 20 @ 9:36 am
Maybe in this political environment we should cool our jets a little and wait for an indictment at least before we bring out the knives. The president refused to cooperate with the House in its investigation, and in the Senate his party speedily acquitted him and didn’t allow witnesses.

Comment by Grandson of Man Friday, Jul 31, 20 @ 9:41 am
But the Tribbies told me guilty until proven innocent and the feds are never wrong!

Comment by Precinct Captain Friday, Jul 31, 20 @ 9:44 am
If Aaron Schock and his imaginary mileage reimbursements turned out to be innocent, anyone can be innocent.

Comment by Candy Dogood Friday, Jul 31, 20 @ 9:46 am
Ted Stevens comes to mind as well.

Comment by Annoyed Friday, Jul 31, 20 @ 10:12 am
==Maybe in this political environment we should cool our jets a little and wait for an indictment at least before we bring out the knives.==

I agree. Commonwealth Edison has said that they would plead not guilty and I did not see where the feds alleged a quid pro quo. But, if anyone want everybody who voted for these bill to resign I am on board with that.

Comment by Bigtwich Friday, Jul 31, 20 @ 10:20 am
Ford’s case was an incredible over-reach. Not hard to see that Ford did in a way walk in the same shoes The Speaker is now.

Comment by levivotedforjudy Friday, Jul 31, 20 @ 10:34 am
Com-Ed is gonna pay $200 million because this happened. If he did not know and did not benefit, who did? The IL GOP has been dead for more than a decade. Madigan is going to level the playing field and kill the Democrat party as well.

Comment by the Patriot Friday, Jul 31, 20 @ 10:57 am
The bigger question is will others that didn’t go through what Rep. Ford did come forward and offer support. So far that’s not happening. We have a handful of reps, largely women, who are willing to take a stand and lot of others saying nothing.

Comment by Pundent Friday, Jul 31, 20 @ 11:07 am
@Pundent: Nice framing you got there. People who call for resignation are “taking a stand” while people who don’t have personal failings.

Some pots will not be stirred. But keep on trying.

Comment by Socially DIstant Watcher Friday, Jul 31, 20 @ 11:13 am
Ford stands with Madigan.
Seems fair to me.

Comment by Madigan stood with Ford. Friday, Jul 31, 20 @ 11:39 am
A $3,782 tax liability would normally never be prosecuted. You get audited you get the bill with fees and penalties, you pay it, and done. The tax thing was only because the Feds needed some kind of a win not matter what.

Comment by DTAG Friday, Jul 31, 20 @ 12:24 pm