From the great state of Tennessee, I bring you the incredibly corrupt John Ford -- and yes, this would be Harold Ford's uncle.

In the end, former state Sen. John Ford's disclosures, the ones he revealed and the ones he tried to hide, led to the downfall of the once-powerful Memphis Democrat, who was convicted Friday on federal corruption charges.

A federal jury convicted Ford on two counts of wire fraud and four counts of concealing material facts stemming from the secret payments he took from two TennCare contractors while he was in the Tennessee Senate.

The nine-woman, three-man jury agreed with government prosecutors: Ford cheated the people of Tennessee.

For all his gravitas and influence, Ford seemed resigned to his fate. When he heard the verdict, he didn't react. A federal judge will sentence him on Sept. 29.

The wire fraud convictions each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years. The false statement charges carry a maximum penalty of five years each. He could get a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison. Ford, 66, is serving 5½ years for a bribery conviction in an unrelated case.

Oh, yeah -- the whole thing was triggered when John Ford lied about his income during a child support hearing. That means that he not only ripped off the people of Tennessee, but was also trying to rip off his own children as well.

What a prince!

Your Democrat elected officials in action!