Jacksonville Fugitive Pleads Guilty To Failing To Appear For Sentencing

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Charles Cornelius Smith (35, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to failing to appear in federal court for his sentencing hearing. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison that must run consecutively to the sentence that will be imposed in a second federal case involving the passing of counterfeit Federal Reserve notes. No sentencing date has been set for either case.

According to court documents, in December 2014, Smith was indicted on three counts of uttering counterfeit Federal Reserve notes. He was arrested on January 20, 2015, and was released on bail. Smith pleaded guilty on February 6, 2015, and a sentencing hearing was set for May 27, 2015. On the day of sentencing, however, Smith failed to appear. Approximately four months later, Smith was arrested by deputies from the U.S. Marshals Service in Jacksonville.

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, Jacksonville Field Office and the U.S. Marshals Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.