AMA director swindled $100,000
Added on Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 by Carole Nash Editor | No Comments
AMA director swindled $100,000
The American Motorcyclist Association, the US version of the ACU and BMF combined, was defrauded of $100,000 in false travel expense claims by one of its directors. Dal Smilie, a lawyer for the State of Montana, and AMA Board Director for many years, was convicted on Monday of swindling money from the AMA over a two year period. Alastair Walker reports.
The fraud was discovered after Smilie was placed under investigation by the State of Montana for similar accounting irregularities over his travel claims, and suspended from his government job. Whilst this case was ongoing, the AMA checked their records and found dubious claims going back over two years. Smilie resigned from the AMA.
“I get the feeling my life is over.” Dal Smilie told US media, apologizing for the humiliation he brought on his family, and the American Motorcyclist Association, from which he stole about $100,000. Smilie pleaded guilty Monday to grand theft, a third-degree felony, and receiving stolen property, a fifth-degree felony, in the courtroom of Common Pleas. The judge sentenced Smilie to eight months in prison for receiving stolen property and three years in prison for grand theft. But remarkably, the judge suspended Smilie’s sentence in lieu of two years of community control and ordered he pay a $1,000 fine. An extraordinary light sentence in view of the charges brought.
Smilie, former chief legal counsel for the Montana Department of Administration, was a member of the AMA’s board of directors for 25 years, including a term as chairman, before resigning in November 2007. Smilie told the court that he logged 2.5 million miles travelling for the AMA and spent about 45 weeks a year on the road. If that was true, when did he fit in his legal work for the State of Montana?
insidebikes contacted the AMA for a comment on their accounting procedures, but they have not responded. We also asked the BMF if a similar expense scandal could occur here. Jeff Stone commented;
“I wish the BMF had that kind of money to claim in expenses! Seriously, the BMF has strict audit procedures and that couldn’t happen.”
UPDATE
The AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) has contacted Insidebikes regarding the Dan Smilie case. Smilie was an AMA board member who was convicted recently of over $100,000 of fraud, involving his travel expense claims. A spokesperson for the AMA has provided additional information to clarify the story.
We quoted local Ohio news sources who stated both of Mr. Smilie’ sentences were suspended. But this was not the case, while the judge awarded community control on one of the counts, grand theft,
Smilie is serving eight months in prison for receiving stolen property and can petition for early release after 30 days.
Second, it appears Mr. Smilie’s theft was documented by the AMA over a period of six years - not two - between 2001 and 2007.The AMA say that the theft was discovered in 2007 as the result of an internal review, not because Smilie was also being investigated by the State of Ohio. This review was undertaken by the AMA’s then new management under CEO Rob Dingman. The internal review could have gone back further in time, but the Ohio statute-of-limitations for this type of crime made it pointless to do so, claim the AMA.
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