Ex-State Senator Pleads Not Guilty to Bribery

Former state Sen. John Ford, who resigned after an FBI sting allegedly caught him taking payoffs and threatening a witness, pleaded not guilty to bribery in Memphis and called his accusers liars.

Ford, a member of one of Tennessee’s most powerful political families, said he and several other legislators caught in the sting were set up. The Democrat’s trial was set for July 5.

“These are accusations that have been brought on by people in government who are corrupt -- people in government who have lied about everything,” Ford said as he left the federal courthouse after his arraignment. “They’re the ones who spent taxpayers’ money doing all this stuff.”