Podcaster indicted on 5 more felonies

SANDUSKY — Local podcaster Ashli Ford is facing five additional charges relating to her pending mortgage fraud case. An Erie County grand jury indicted Ford, 40, of Milan, on Jan. 22, on the following charges: • Two counts of telecommunications fraud, each a second-degree felony • Two counts of forgery, each a fifth-degree felony • One count of attempted aggravated theft, a fourth-degree felony According to this most recent indictment, between July 2022 and January 2023, Ford allegedly "devised a scheme" to defraud the federal Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and a mortgage loan servicer of "over $150,000." With this new indictment, Ford is now facing 12 felony charges in this case, including tampering with records, forgery, aggravated theft and identity fraud. Ford was first indicted by an Erie County grand jury in this case in July 2025 and again in September. At her arraignment hearing on Dec. 9, she pleaded not guilty to the charges. Ford has an upcoming court hearing scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on April 28, according to court records. That hearing — a final plea hearing — was scheduled prior to her new indictment, and it's likely she'll have a court date on her new charges before then. Ford is out of jail on her own recognizance, and her bond was continued, according to court records. Background Erie County prosecutor Kevin Baxter said previously that the charges in this case are unrelated to Ford's recent conviction, in which she was found guilty by a judge on four felony intimidation charges for threats posted online against local government officials. She was sentenced on Aug. 18 to serve three years of probation. Baxter said the alleged fraud stems from a 2022 foreclosure action filed against Ford and the alleged victim and co-signer of the home loan in the 500 block of E. Mason Road. Baxter explained that the issue arose from a previous foreclosure that began on Jan. 31, 2020, which led the co-signer and Ford to agree to sell the home and use the proceeds to settle the overdue payments. However, instead of selling the home, Ford allegedly forged the co-signer's signature to secure a federal loan by falsely claiming a familial relationship and used the funds to dismiss the foreclosure and modify the loan. Baxter said more than $30,000 in federal funds were used to bring the loan current, but the mortgage is now delinquent again.