Genesee News

The legal troubles for former Macomb County prosecutor Eric Smith are likely far from over, even though he is reportedly pleading guilty to a federal obstruction of justice charge, Detroit Free Press investigative reporter M.L. Elrick said on WJR's "The Paul W. Smith Show."

Smith still faces state charges as well, Elrick told Smith.

Often when a person is under state and federal investigation, a “global resolution” is reached that resolves both sets of charges. That does not appear to be what is happening in Smith’s case, according to Elrick.

“The fact that these are on separate tracks, and continue to be on separate tracks, is interesting to me,” Elrick said on the radio show. “I don’t know how much to make of it, but it suggests to me that Mr. Smith’s problems are far from over and that merely pleading guilty to this charge in federal court does not let him get on with the rest of his life, by any means.”

Investigators are looking into whether Smith used campaign funds for personal use, Elrick explained.

After his first election, Smith never faced serious re-election challenges, the reporter said.

“It looks like he raised money and figured, 'Well, I could use some of that for things I’d like to have',” Elrick told Smith.

The state is investigating whether Smith also used forfeiture funds for personal use, according to Elrick.

“It looks like he is accused of using -- he hasn’t pleaded guilty or been convicted of that -- but he spread that money around to friends, colleagues and political supporters,” Elrick said on the radio program.

The state and federal allegations are similar in that they involve “the misuse of funds for his personal benefit,” Elrick told Smith. “We’re talking about a lot of money, tens of thousands of dollars.”

The prosecutor has said he never received money from anyone seeking a break from prosecution, Elrick said.

“I guess he just ripped off donors. If that’s better, I’m not sure,” the reporter told Smith. “But he does claim he did do his job.”