The corruption trial last April of former Pine Lawn Mayor Sylvester Caldwell shed some light on the allegations.

Akram Samad, manager of the Pine Lawn Food Market, testified that Blakeney made him help frame Nakisha Ford, Caldwell’s 2013 opponent for mayor.

He told a jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis that Blakeney instructed him to call 911 to falsely claim that Ford had stolen one of Caldwell’s campaign signs displayed inside the store.

He said Blakeney then returned to the store to take the report, which led to Ford’s arrest. Caldwell then told Samad he needed to testify in court against Ford, Samad said.

Ford said Samad gave her permission to take down a nasty campaign sign targeted at her that hung in the store in the spring of 2013.