Overview
- Downpatrick Crown Court imposed a four-year term, reduced to three years and four months to credit time in US custody, with half to be served in prison.
- A jury in September convicted Smyth of three counts of theft and three counts of fraud by abuse of position for offences totaling about £135,000, some of which was recovered.
- Judge Sandra Crawford described Smyth as an “incorrigible fraudster” who exploited professional trust, citing victim statements that outlined heavy financial and emotional harm, including the loss of a family home.
- The Home Office has applied for her immediate deportation to the United States upon release.
- Police arrested Smyth in Maine in February 2024 after a tip linked to podcaster Johnathan Walton’s reporting, and he later voiced disappointment that the sentence was not longer.