ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) –A Florida physician has been sentenced in Buncombe County after pleading guilty to stealing disaster relief donations intended for victims of Tropical Storm Helene, prosecutors said.
The Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office said Mark Anthony Smith, 56, of Jacksonville, Florida, pleaded guilty to five counts of felony larceny related to the theft of donated supplies and personal property.
Smith entered the plea without a negotiated agreement from prosecutors, who asked the court to consider a sentence that included active jail time.
Superior Court Judge George Bell sentenced Smith to six to 17 months in prison on each count, suspended consecutively, for a total suspended sentence of 30 to 85 months. The judgment included a split sentence of nine days of active time, which Smith has already served in the Buncombe County Detention Facility. Smith was also ordered to report the felony convictions to the appropriate state medical licensing board, as required by law.
“The defendant’s actions violated public trust and insulted the generosity of those who donated to help our community in a moment of need,” District Attorney Todd Williams said in a statement.
Investigators said the thefts occurred in the Swannanoa area following Tropical Storm Helene, while a nonprofit organization was distributing essential supplies to storm victims. According to the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, Smith posed as a volunteer and stole more than $12,000 in donated disaster relief items, including camping stoves, heaters, propane tanks and generators.
Deputies recovered the items at a local pawn shop, where Smith had sold them for cash, authorities said. Investigators also determined Smith stole more than $2,000 worth of personal property belonging to the nonprofit’s operator.
The district attorney’s office credited the sheriff’s office with recovering the stolen goods and completing the investigation that led to Smith’s prosecution.