Richardson charges are latest in recent string of allegations against elected officials
Shelby County Commissioner Will Richardson (middle) during a meeting on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
Ten days into the new Shelby County Commission’s four-year term, two commissioners have been formally charged with crimes.
And the city has appointed an independent counsel to investigate allegations that include the council’s chairwoman.
The legal troubles of Commissioners Will Richardson and Erika Sugarmon — along with the investigations of Commissioner Lashanta Rudd and Council Chairwoman Jana Swearengen-Washington — come as former County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. awaits sentencing next week on federal tax evasion charges.
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Will Richardson Erika Sugarmon Lashanta Rudd Edmund Ford Jr. Jana Swearengen-Washington Subscriber OnlyThank you for reading The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.
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Bill Dries
Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for almost 50 years covering a wide variety of stories from the 1977 death of Elvis Presley and the 1978 police and fire strikes to numerous political campaigns, every county mayor and every Memphis Mayor starting with Wyeth Chandler.
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