Wife's fraud not known to him, councilman says
Fellow lawmakers consider spouse's misdeeds 'personal issue'Common Council Majority Leader Demone A. Smith said Tuesday he did not know that his wife was involved in a counterfeit check scheme until investigators showed up.
Jayme D. Smith, the city lawmaker's wife, pleaded guilty Monday to federal bank fraud charges.
According to her plea deal, Jayme Smith created and mailed about $564,000 in fraudulent checks to people across the country last year. She printed some of the checks at home and signed other people's names to them. Her attorney said she was paid about $900.
In the end, four banks lost about $20,100.
"She was a victim of an online predator," Demone Smith said after Tuesday's Council meeting. "She got to the point where it went to court. She took responsibility for her involvement, and, pretty much, she got duped."
While his wife awaits sentencing in cqJuly, it appears that the Masten District representative is not in danger of losing his leadership post on the Council.