Mont. lawyer who traveled 2.5 million miles for Ohio motorcycle club admits inflating expenses
By APTuesday, February 23, 2010
Mont. man admits ripping off Ohio motorcycle club
LANCASTER, Ohio — A Montana lawyer and motorcycle enthusiast has pleaded guilty in Ohio to stealing $100,000 from the American Motorcyclist Association.
Dal Smilie said Monday he gets the feeling his life is over. He apologized for humiliating his family and the AMA, the nation’s biggest motorcycle membership organization.
The 62-year-old Smilie is a former chief lawyer for the Montana Department of Administration and was a member of the Pickerington, Ohio-based motorcycle group’s board of directors for 25 years.
He says he logged 2.5 million miles traveling for the AMA but overstated his expenses for two years. He pleaded guilty to grand theft and receiving stolen property.
A judge sentenced Smilie to three years and eight months in prison but suspended the sentence in lieu of two years of community control and a $1,000 fine.
Smilie repaid the AMA before he was charged.
Information from: Lancaster Eagle-Gazette, www.lancastereaglegazette.com
