SANDUSKY, Ohio— A true crime podcaster convicted of felony intimidation for attacking the reputations of Norwalk, Ohio, city employees in a social media post is requesting that an Erie County judge reverse his decision, according to the law firm that filed the motion on Tuesday.
The Pattakos Law Firm contends that Ashli Ford’s Facebook post is free speech protected by the First Amendment and does not constitute a threat that warrants her conviction. The firm also claims that the conviction has had a “chilling effect” on Ford’s “non-threatening expression”.
According to court documents, the September 2023 Facebook post made allegations against several Norwalk officials, including Mayor David Light, the city’s law director and prosecutor Stuart O’Hara, the city’s safety and service director Michael White, and former Norwalk police chief David Smith.
“Ford stated she had the four men ‘on [their] knees,’ and she would ‘slowly crumble the reputation of every person who stands in the way of justice,’ according to court documents. “She went on to claim she would ‘escort [them] to [their] demise in a manner more akin to Malcolm X than Martin Luther King Jr.'”
The law firm in Akron asserts “the Facebook post for which Ford was convicted consists entirely of classic political speech and does not contain any content that could be reasonably construed as a ‘true threat’ so as to overcome the First Amendment’s robust protections for such speech.”
Each of Ford’s convictions carries a maximum sentence of 9 to 36 months in prison and a $10,000 fine. She is scheduled to appear in court for sentencing on July 16.
According to the state’s brief, the post was interpreted as an attempt to intimidate public officials and witnesses already involved in an ongoing criminal case against Ford, which is a violation of Ohio law governing obstruction and intimidation.
Ford was indicted on 19 charges last year, including extortion, telecommunications fraud, and misdemeanor falsification. She was cleared of the other 15 charges.
Ford is best known for her true crime podcast “ALLEGEDLY: with Ashli Ford,” which discusses various legal cases and controversies. She has also publicly identified as a journalist and child victim advocate.
Ford stated that the purpose of her podcast is to highlight “injustices” and “inspire action.”
