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Former Norfolk Homicide Investigator Charged with Extortion

U.S. Attorney’s Office May 10, 2010
  • Eastern District of Virginia (757) 441-6331

NORFOLK, VA—A federal grand jury has indicted Robert Glenn Ford, 56, of Virginia Beach, Va., on three counts of extortion under color of official right, one count of conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right, and one count of making a false statement.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after the indictment was unsealed today. Ford, a former homicide investigator with the Norfolk Police Department, faces a maximum penalty of 20 years on each of the extortion counts and five years on the false statement count.

According to the indictment, Ford obtained monetary payments from and on behalf of individuals charged with criminal offenses in return for helping them secure release on bond, sentence reductions and other favorable treatment, by falsely representing to prosecutors and judges that these individuals provided assistance in the investigation of homicides in Norfolk. The indictment further charges Ford with making false statements to federal agents during a voluntary interview conducted during an investigation.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Alan M. Salsbury and Melissa E. O’Boyle are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Criminal indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.

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