By Dan Horn
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Police and prosecutors in Cincinnati were accused in federal court Thursday of targeting African-Americans for harsher punishment in gun cases.

The accusation arose in the criminal case of Jacob Ford, a Cincinnati man who is awaiting trial in U.S. District Court on federal gun charges.

Ford claims he and other black suspects have been singled out for federal prosecution as part of the city's Project Disarm program. If successful, Ford's claim could call into question more than 70 federal prosecutions of local gun cases.

Cincinnati police and federal agencies launched Project Disarm in 2001 in an effort to crack down on increasing gun violence in the city.

The program allows police to refer suspects to federal authorities to be tried under federal gun laws, which typically carry longer sentences than state laws.

Authorities have touted the program as a way to keep violent criminals and drug dealers off the streets for years instead of months.

But in a legal brief filed Thursday, Ford claimed that police and prosecutors are using the program to single out African-American suspects for harsher treatment.

Ford's lawyer, Kenneth Lawson, stated in the brief that he had reviewed 77 cases that had been referred for federal prosecution and found that all but five were African-American men.

"A review of the cases referred to Project Disarm shows a blatant case of racial discrimination," Lawson wrote in the brief.

He argued that Ford is the victim of selective prosecution and asked Judge Sandra Beckwith to dismiss the charges against him.

Federal prosecutors would not comment on Ford's claim but said race is not a factor in determining which cases are referred for federal charges.

Fred Alverson, spokesman for U.S. Attorney Gregory Lockhart, said authorities refer only those cases that involve suspects with criminal histories of violence or drugs.

"Those are the criteria we use," Alverson said.

Ford's case is set for trial next week, but Lawson has asked to postpone it so he can seek more information to support his claim of discrimination.

E-mail dhorn@enquirer.com