Mont. lawyer who traveled 2.5M miles for Ohio-based motorcycle club admits inflating expenses
By APTuesday, February 23, 2010
Man admits ripping off Ohio-based 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 apologized Monday 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 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. He pleaded guilty to grand theft and receiving stolen property. A spokesman for the club says Smilie stole from the AMA for at least six years.
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
