Tom Smith | |
---|---|
Member of the KentuckyHouseofRepresentatives from the 86th district | |
Assumed office January 1, 2021 | |
Preceded by | Jim Stewart |
In office January 1,1991 –April 30,1993 | |
Preceded by | Caroline White |
Succeeded by | Elbert Hampton |
Personal details | |
Born | Barbourville,Kentucky | November 20,1958
Residence | Corbin,Kentucky |
Committees | Licensing,Occupations,&Administrative Regulations (Vice Chair) Banking &Insurance Natural Resources &Energy Transportation |
Tom O'Dell Smith (born November 20,1958) is an American politician who has served as a Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from Kentucky's 86th House district since January 2021. His district includes Knox County and part of Laurel County. [1] He previously represented the district from 1991 to 1993,but he resigned following his conviction of extortion. He served 27 months in prison. [2]
Smith was born in Barbourville,Kentucky,and attended Williamsburg High School. Currently,Smith holds numerous business interests and works as a consultant. [3]
During the early 1990s,the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched Operation BOPTROT in an effort to investigate allegations of corruption involving the state legislature of Kentucky. Alongside BOPTROT,the FBI also initiated Operation Crabgrass in an effort to investigate allegations specifically centered in Eastern Kentucky. [3]
On September 15,1992,U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky Karen Caldwell and the FBI announced in a press conference that Smith had been indicted on three felony counts of extortion and one count of obstruction of justice. According to the indictment,Smith had extorted a total of $13,750 from Theresa Brown,the wife of a convicted drug dealer,in exchange for obtaining an early release for her husband. [4] Smith intended the money to be contributed to the 1991 Kentucky gubernatorial election campaign of U.S. Representative Larry Hopkins. Smith contested the charges throughout the proceedings,initially claiming that they were politically motivated given their proximity to that November's election. [4] Later,Smith claimed that he was entrapped by the FBI with their intent being to use Smith to provide aid to investigations against his fellow lawmakers. [5]
On March 30,1993,Smith was found guilty on two of the three extortion charges and was found not guilty on one count of obstruction. [6] On April 30,Smith resigned his position as a state legislator [7] and on July 2,he was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison. [8] In 1997,Governor Paul Patton issued a proclamation restoring Smith's civil rights and granting him the ability to vote despite his felony convictions. [9]
Operation Boptrot,also referred to as Boptrot,was an investigation by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into corruption among the Kentucky General Assembly,the Commonwealth's legislature. The operation was highly successful,with the investigation culminating in several indictments in 1992,leading to the conviction of more than a dozen legislators between 1992 and 1995. The investigation also led to reform legislation being passed in 1993.
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