Swannanoa residents walk through devastating flood damage from the Swannanoa River in 2024. A Florida doctor has pleaded guilty to taking supplies donated for the victims and selling them at pawn shops, the Buncombe County district Attoirney’s Office says.
tlong@newsobserver.com
A Florida doctor posing as a Helene disaster relief volunteer has pleaded guilty to stealing supplies intended for storm victims in North Carolina, according to prosecutors.
Mark Anthony Smith, 56, took camping stoves, sleeping bags, heaters, propane tanks, and generators, then sold them to pawn shops for a profit, the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office said in a Dec. 15 news release.
Smith, who lives from Jacksonville, Florida, pleaded guilty to five counts of felony larceny “related to the theft of disaster relief donations and personal property intended to aid victims of Hurricane Helene,” prosecutors said.
His sentence includes time already served in jail, plus 85 months “suspended consecutively.” Smith must also “report the felony convictions to the appropriate state medical licensing board as required by law,” officials said. He
“The charges stemmed from incidents that occurred in the Swannanoa area in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, where a non-profit organization was providing essential supplies to victims,” the District Attorney’s Office reported.
“The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office investigation revealed that Smith, posing as a volunteer, stole over $12,000 in donated disaster relief supplies. … These items were later recovered by deputies at a local pawn shop where Smith had sold them for cash. Smith also stole over $2,000 in personal items belonging to the organization’s operator.”
Hurricane Helene reached western North Carolina on Sept. 27, 2024, “generating historic rainfall, strong winds, landslides, and tornadoes,” according to a state report. More than 100 people died, and the storm destroyed thousands of homes and damaged tens of thousands more, the report states.
“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 the news release.
“This sentence ensures the defendant is held accountable and requires him to report these felony convictions to his medical licensing authority.”
Mark Price
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