BOSTON — A federal grand jury in Boston on Wednesday indicted a former Middlesex County Sheriff’s deputy who is accused of making violent threats to burn down the Plymouth County Courthouse and threats to kill court security officers.
Joshua P. Ford, 42, of Kingston, was indicted on three counts of interstate transmission of a threatening communication, Acting U.S. Attorney Josh Levy said in a statement. Ford is currently in state custody and will appear in U.S. District Court in Boston at a later date.
According to the indictment, Ford served as a deputy for the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office between about 2009 and 2017.
Prosecutors allege that on March 13, Ford sent 12 emails to a total of about 140 people, almost all of them Massachusetts law enforcement officers, with each email containing the same text: “[there] is no more justice system anymore just WAR” and “I am calling on all able bodied officers my brothers in blue to suit up for a fight.”
Prosecutors allege that Ford then asked those law enforcement officers to arm themselves with firearms and armored vehicles and declared, “Tomorrow we burn down the Plymouth County Court house to the ground.”
It is further alleged that the emails included a link to a video Ford posted on YouTube and British video hosting service BitChute, Levy said.
According to the indictment, the video, titled, “War Has Been Declared (expletive) All,” is an 11-minute recording of Ford in a kitchen, where he speaks directly to the camera.
Prosecutors allege that in the video, Ford’s principal assertion is that the justice system is corrupt, and he makes various statements about police officers, correctional officers, court officers, a judge, a prosecutor, defense attorneys and others.
Prosecutors allege that Ford expressed particular contempt for Middlesex Sheriff’s officers, and he is accused of saying, “And guess what? I’m (expletive) coming. I’m (expletive) coming, and hell’s (expletive) coming with me. I’m going to (expletive) get every last one of you (expletive). I know where you work. And I am coming to get you.”
Prosecutors allege Ford also threatened to “break the arms and legs of every court officer” and to “kill” court security officers working in the Plymouth County Courthouse, calling on other law enforcement officers to assist him by bringing guns, gasoline, C-4, armored personnel carriers and SWAT teams to his confrontation, which he scheduled earlier this year, for 8:30 a.m. on March 14, Levy said.
Local law enforcement arrested Ford on March 13, after the emails were sent, Levy said.
The charges of interstate transmission of a threatening communication each provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division made Wednesday’s announcement. Kingston Police and Marshfield Police assisted in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Beck of the National Security Unit is prosecuting the case.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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