Hazard Woman Pleads Guilty To Illegally Structuring Bank Deposits

LONDON, KY - Lois Elaine Smith, 53, of Hazard, KY., pleaded guilty today to charges of currency structuring.

In her guilty plea, Smith admitted she intentionally structured cash deposits, in increments of just under $10,000, into an account at the Peoples Bank and Trust in Perry County. Smith acknowledged that she structured the deposits in this manner to prevent the bank from filing a currency transaction report with the federal government.

Under federal law, financial institutions, such as banks, are required to report to the federal government any currency deposit, withdrawal, or exchange that is over $10,000. It is a violation of federal law to intentionally structure cash transactions to avoid these reporting requirements.

Smith was indicted by a grand jury in February of 2013.

Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Christopher A. Henry, Special Agent in Charge, Nashville Field Division, Internal Revenue Service, jointly made the announcement.

The investigation was conducted by the IRS, Northern Kentucky Financial Crimes Task Force. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jordi De Llano and Robert K. McBride.

Smith is currently scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove for sentencing, in London, on November 21, 2013, at 1:30 p.m. Smith faces a maximum prison sentence of five years. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the Court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statutes governing the imposition of sentences.