Say goodbye to Ashli Ford?
Podcaster says she's done with podcasting; judge to sentence her on Monday
SANDUSKY —
Ashli Ford, convicted earlier this year on four felony counts of intimidation, will return to court Monday for sentencing.
The charges stem from a social media post Ford made that a judge determined was a “true threat” against Norwalk city officials, a threat prosecutors argued was aimed at interfering with legal proceedings.
Ford could be sentenced up to 12 years and fined up to $40,000. She also could be sentenced to probation. Prosecutors have asked for a 30-month sentence, stating that Ford has shown no remorse.
“The likelihood of the defendant committing further crimes is high,” according to a sentencing memorandum.
More problems
If all that wasn’t enough on her plate, Ford also faces arraignment later this month on new charges — forgery and mortgage fraud — contained in an indictment unsealed July 25.
Meanwhile, Ford and her husband, Ezekiel Ford Sr., face eviction from the Milan Township home where they live that Ford co-owned previously with her ex-husband. It’s the second foreclosure on the home in five years.
According to prosecutors, Ashli Ford forged her former husband’s name on a federal loan document after the first foreclosure in 2020. She used a federal loan program designed to help homeowners get current on mortgages. The $30,000 federal loan did not have to be paid back until the mortgage is paid off. The mortgage went into foreclosure again in June of this year.
Ford was divorced from her first husband and when she applied for the federal loan, according to court records, but she listed her first husband on the loan application and indicated they were still married.
Despite the pending criminal cases, she continues operating a Patreon page where she sells self-written true crime stories. Ford casts herself as a crime-solver, an “activist, advocate, podcaster,” describing investigations she claims to have worked on or solved.
In court proceedings previously, she claimed to be earning up to $12,000 per month from her various activities, including as an executive with a staffing company she and Ezekiel Ford own and operate. She also recently, during a podcast, said she worked for Cedar Point, at one time, helping the park with its summer staffing.
Still present
Ford continues to promote herself on social media, suggesting she has been the victim of retaliation for being a critic of police and telling supporters she’s doing what God inspires her to do. After getting arrested on the forgery and mortgage fraud charges in July, she told supporters she’d “solved a homicide over the weekend,” but her work was interrupted by the arrest.
She also continues to sell public records and her podcasts, writings and interpretations about them at social media. Recently, however, at Facebook, in a nearly 2-hour podcast, she said she would stop podcasting.
“I started these for a reason,” Ford says. “Today will be my very last one. I feel like I accomplished my goal.”
At the sentencing hearing on Monday, visiting Judge Deborah Boros, who convicted Ford in May, is likely to spell out any stipulations that will limit Ford’s access to social media. If she’s sentenced to prison, it’s likely she will not have access to the platforms she used. It’s not clear if the couple still operate the staffing business or other businesses.
Ford and her attorney, Peter Pattakos, have not responded to requests for comment since the new charges were filed. In the past, she has claimed the First Amendment protects her from prosecution, and that officials are retaliating against her.
What could happen next?
Under Ohio law, felony convictions don’t automatically prohibit a person from running a social media account or profiting from online content. But courts can impose restrictions tied to the nature of the crime. Since prosecutors have already argued that Ford’s intimidation convictions involved online threats, the judge could limit her internet access, restrict contact with victims, or prohibit her from monetizing crime-related content.
In the sentencing memorandum, prosecutors described it this way:
“Ford has built her online platform to monetize and sensationalize allegations against public officials and tragedies like the Amanda Dean homicide… to generate more attention and thus more revenue.”
If Ford is placed on probation, she will likely face a standard set of conditions — regular check-ins with a probation officer, no new criminal conduct, and no contact with victims. Judges can also add custom restrictions, from business limitations to travel bans.
Without such an order, Ford would still find it difficult, at best, to continue her Patreon business if she’s sentenced to prison. Ohio Administrative Code Rule 5120-9-51 strictly governs internet access for incarcerated individuals:
Inmates may only access the internet if a purpose is pre-approved.
Allowed access is limited, monitored, and subject to inmate’s offense history and conduct
Violations can result in disciplinary action and even prosecution under Ohio law.
Ohio Revised Code § 5145.31 also makes it a first-degree misdemeanor for inmates to access the internet without proper authorization. Ohio Laws
The practical reality is access to social media platforms is effectively prohibited. Tablets or kiosks in state prisons do allow for limited email or for classroom materials, but browsing and social media cannot be accessed lawfully.
Unauthorized use, such as maintaining or posting to social media — even via a third party — may result in severe penalties, including solitary confinement or loss of privileges
Even if a family member or friend operates the account on behalf of the inmate, ODRC may interpret that as circumventing monitoring, potentially violating institutional security policy. A Federal proposal (for BOP) already classifies maintaining or using social media via proxy as a “Greatest Severity” prohibited act.
StayTunedSandusky will be in the courtroom on Monday to cover the outcome of the sentencing hearing and report any conditions imposed.
