Sixth Circuit Vacates Wire Fraud and False Statement Convictions of Former Tennessee State Senator

A fascinating opinion vacating convictions and reversing the district court, was issued by the Sixth Circuit in the case of U.S. v. Ford. This appeal concerned convictions for false statements and two counts of "honest services" wire fraud.  This case does not pertain to another case against Ford in which he was sentenced to 5 1/2 years imprisonment.

The government's problem with the 1001 conviction was that the statute was inapplicable to the defendant's conduct. Section 1001 requires federal jurisdiction. As stated by the court in noting the defendant's argument, "while the facts that he failed to disclose concerned an entity inseparable from federal ties, the entities to which he failed to disclose those facts were anything but federal."  The court noted that the "failures to disclose financial interests were related to functions of the state government of Tennessee - the senate's and election registry's reporting requirements."  The court also used the rule of lenity in support of its vacating these convictions.

The wire fraud counts were easier - Skilling limited honest services to "bribery and kickbacks," and that was not the case here.

Attorneys Representing Ford were Paul Mogin, William E. McDaniels, & M. Jesse Carlson (Williams & Connolly LLP).

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