According to several city sources who claimed knowledge of the schedule, former State Representative Stephen “Stat” Smith, who pleaded guilty to federal voter fraud charges last month, may be sentenced at 2 p.m. on Friday, January 11 in federal court in Boston.
Attempts to verify the sentencing date with the federal courts on Monday were unsuccessful.
Smith was indicted and pleaded guilty, in December, to two misdemeanor counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, for submitting fraudulent absentee ballots in two elections in 2009, for re-election to the School Committee and in 2010 for re-election as State Representative.
Smith, was first elected to the statehouse in 2006, and was most recently re-elected in November 2012.
Under the plea, Smith admitted that he had obtained absentee ballots for ineligible voters who would cast them for him, or he would cast them himself. In some cases he apparently even obtained absentee ballots for registered voters who did not know that he was voting in their names.
The prosecutor has recommended a sentence of six-months, followed by a year of supervised release and a fine to be determined by the court. Under the plea he also agreed to resign his State Representative seat effective January 1, 2013 and will not be eligible to run for elective office again for a period of five years from his sentencing date.
Attempts to reach Smith for a comment on the charges were unsuccessful.
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