FORMER STATE REP. ROBIN SMITH GETS 8 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR ROLE IN MAIL SCHEME
Former Tennessee state Representative Robin Smith, a Republican, was sentenced to eight months in prison for her role in a taxpayer-funded mail business scheme, following her guilty plea to one count of honest services wire fraud in March 2022. Smith, who expressed remorse during her sentencing hearing, admitted to failing the public’s trust and sought forgiveness.
Her cooperation with federal authorities, including testifying against former House Speaker Glen Casada and his chief of staff Cade Cothren, was pivotal in their convictions earlier this year. Casada was found guilty of 14 charges and sentenced to three years, while Cothren, convicted on 16 counts, received two and a half years.
The scheme involved a fictitious company, Phoenix Solutions, allegedly run by a nonexistent “Matthew Phoenix,” through which Casada and Smith’s companies illicitly received about $52,000 in taxpayer money in 2020. Prosecutors revealed the scheme aimed to obscure the identities of those involved due to prior scandals that led to Casada and Cothren’s resignations in 2019.
Despite defense attempts to discredit Smith’s testimony, U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson noted her significant role in the deception, emphasizing the betrayal of public trust by elected officials. Smith, a former GOP leader elected in 2018, resigned in 2022 and must report to prison by January 5.
