NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A government watchdog said John Ford's charges can touch everyone, even if they think that his indictment and alleged scandals don’t really affect them.

Ethics Complaint Began John Ford Investigation

Barry Schmittou said that it is a matter of holding government officials accountable.

Scmittou isn't a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent or federal prosecutor; he's just a regular guy who filed an ethics complaint last year.

"We continue to see lobbyists and legislators exchanging gifts and meals, and the average citizens are not represented when this is happening,” Schmittou said.

The news of Ford's alleged insider deals have become public knowledge, but Schmittou's ethics complaint is what led the state to turn the case over to the attorney general's office and ultimately to a federal grand jury ending in today's indictment.

Related Link: Former State Sen. John Ford Indicted On New Charges

Schmittou said the public should care about inside political deals, especially in TennCare, because it's not only a matter of public trust but making sure tax dollars are spent wisely.

"I feel one of the reasons TennCare had to be cut was because of the rampant fraud that was never really stopped,” Schmittou said.

The two businesses that Ford secretly worked for still have contracts with TennCare, but TennCare said there are much stricter measures in place now to prevent insider contracts.

Schmittou said he was beginning to wonder if Ford would ever be charged and said it is about time.

"It's just a shame we have so many elected officials who are supposed to be serving the public, and they are serving themselves. This is happening in both political parties, not just one party,” he said.

Documents released 18 months ago show Ford's consulting firm had been getting $10,000-a-month since 2001.

Taxpayer advocate Ben Cunningham said Monday’s indictment was a surprise only because of how long it took.

"The wheels of justice turn slowly and in final analysis, it wasn't the senate that did the investigation and brought forth this indictment, it was law enforcement,” he said.

Cunningham also said that the indictment is very important to taxpayers.

"This is an extraordinarily important contract here, because it involved TennCare. TennCare involves 25 percent of the total budget. So when you buy a $1 item, and pay 10 cents sales tax, 2 to 3 cents of that is going to TennCare,” Cunningham said.

TennCare still has contracts with both companies named in the indictment -- the company formerly known as Omnicare and Doral Dental.

TennCare said it has recouped $920,000 from those companies, money that was used to pay Ford.

Other Ford Family Members That Have Been Indicted

Ford and his family are no strangers to political trouble.

When Ford resigned his senate seat after Operation Tennessee Waltz, his sister Ophelia won a special election. The results were disputed when election officials discovered several ballots cast by people who were dead.

In late November, John Ford's brother Edmund Ford was charged with taking bribes from government agents in exchange for favorable votes on the Memphis City Council.

John Ford's other brother, former U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Sr., was indicted, then acquitted, of bank fraud years ago.