Amilcar "Butch" Ford was arraigned before Alameda County Superior Court Judge James Cramer on Monday and was ordered back to enter a plea in September.
A former Alameda County prosecutor — and one of the loudest critics of his former boss, District Attorney Pamela Price — appeared in court on Monday amid allegations he interfered with the prosecution of a San Leandro police officer.
Amilcar “Butch” Ford was arraigned before Alameda County Superior Court Judge James Cramer on a misdemeanor charge of defending after public prosecution as the prosecutor. Ford — who now works for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office — could be disbarred if convicted.
Appearing in a black suit, Ford spoke little during the hearing while flanked by three attorneys. Several of his supporters sat in the gallery — among them multiple former Alameda County prosecutors who resigned after Price took office, including Stacie Pettigrew and Charly Weissenbach. Also on hand to support Ford was Matt Finnegan, an attorney with the local union representing Alameda County prosecutors.
Prosecutor Leah Abraham did not request any bail be set for Ford, and the judge allowed him to remain free on his own recognizance. Ford is set to appear for a plea hearing on Sept. 15.
Ford — who has previously framed the charge as being politically motivated — declined to comment after the hearing.
The case represents a rare instance of a current district attorney prosecuting one of her former employees — one who has assailed his former boss for extensive reforms to the region’s justice system. Ford has repeatedly pilloried Price, most notably at at a rally in April that called for her ouster. The event foreshadowed a move by several other community members earlier this month to officially begin a recall campaign against Price.
Price alleges Ford broke the state’s business and professions code in April, when he filed a declaration supporting an East Bay attorney’s bid to disqualify Price from the case of Jason Fletcher. Fletcher, a former San Leandro police officer, faces a manslaughter charge in the 2020 on-duty shooting death of Steven Taylor.
In the sworn declaration, Ford described multiple conversations he had with Kwixuan Maloof, the head of Price’s Public Accountability Unit. It included one instance where Maloof allegedly said, “I came here to charge cops. They better be ready. They better Google me,” according to the court declaration.
Ford filed the declaration about a month before he resigned to work for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, joining several veteran Alameda County prosecutors, including Pettigrew and Weissenbach, who have left to work across the Bay Bridge. Taking their place in Price’s office have been several employees of Chesa Boudin, the former San Francisco district attorney who was recalled in 2022.
The case was moved to Cramer’s courtroom Monday morning after Superior Court Judge Armando Pastran recused himself. The reason for that recusal wasn’t immediately clear Monday.
