In a speech equal parts defiance and political critique, with some genuine emotion apparent, State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford responded Monday to political attack ads funded by a crypto currency PAC upset with his vote as a state legislator.
Ford, one of 13 Democratic primary candidates looking to succeed the retiring Danny K. Davis as 7th District representative in Congress, stood with Davis and other supporters at his campaign headquarters to address a video ad and political mailers that falsely imply that he was convicted of felonies related to bank fraud.
The attack ad, created by the Fairshare super PAC, referred to a federal indictment against Ford in 2012, charging him with bank fraud and submitting false information. The video pieces together statements in a way that conveys that one statement made related to the next statement. But they do not.
Ford, the video intones, “was indicted on 17 counts.” Waiting a moment for effect, they repeat, “17 counts” over a graphic of “17 counts” handwritten on a piece of cardboard.
“The verdict? Ford convicted of tax fraud.” But Ford was not charged with tax fraud in the 17-count indictment. That single charge was in a superseding indictment.
In 2014, after the original prosecutor left office, another prosecutor took over the case, and the U.S. Attorney in Chicago suddenly dropped all 17 felony charges in exchange for Ford agreeing to enter a guilty plea to a single misdemeanor tax charge. Ford, who has worked in real estate and property rehab on the West Side, agreed to plead guilty to overstating the rehab costs on one of his properties by about $23,000, which lowered his capital gains taxes when the property was sold, resulting in $3,782 in lost tax revenue to the IRS.
He was sentenced to probation, a $1,000 fine and restitution.
“I am not a felon,” Ford said. “I am a state legislator, I am a real estate broker, I am licensed to be a teacher.” Had he been convicted of any felony, he said he would not be able to be any of those things.
Calling the funding behind the attack “blood money,” Ford said such tactics are “harmful to our democracy.” He said he was targeted by the PAC because of his vote in the Illinois House to regulate the crypto currency industry, “because I stood up for my people.”
“I’m here to protect the community and the people who elected me.”
Davis called the ads “scurrilous.”
“Yes he was charged,” he said of Ford. “But it was a lie. And the Justice Department knew it.” He added, “The judge said it was a mistake.”
Ford spoke about his defense attorney, the late Thomas Durkin, saying, “He actually told the courts that ‘this Black man is getting railroaded.’” His voice quavering, Ford added, “I needed that attorney at that time.” As the room erupted in applause, Ford teared up, covered his eyes and laid his head down on the podium.” He then left the room, returning several minutes later.
The crypto industry’s hostility toward Ford stems from his support of a bill that passed the Illinois General Assembly last August, SB 1797. The bill created the Digital Assets and Consumer Protection Act, which directs the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to regulate digital asset business activity in Illinois and imposes new compliance and consumer-protection requirements on them.
Ford said dark money is playing a negative role in today’s politics.
“I think we have a problem when we have dark money in a race that can do whatever they want in the race without any checks,” he said. “We need to change the law and make sure we’re able to have a fair democracy.”
