NASHVILLE — Former state Rep. Robin Smith, R-Hixson, was sentenced Friday to eight months in federal prison for her role in a corruption conspiracy described as a scheme to steal from Tennessee and its citizens through the General Assembly’s taxpayer-funded constituent mail program.
Smith, 62, “failed the trust of the public” and has “been a failure,” she said during her sentencing hearing in Nashville federal court.
“My mom and dad raised me to be much better than this,” Smith said. “I ask for the forgiveness of the public.”
Smith pleaded guilty in March 2022 to one count of honest services wire fraud, a charge regularly used in corruption prosecutions, and agreed to “full, complete and truthful” cooperation with the federal government.
She was fined $7,500 and will be on supervised release for one year after incarceration. Smith cried while addressing the court Friday morning, frequently referencing her Christianity and the debt she said she owes to her family, friends, God and the public.