Joshua Smith, Campaign Finance Scheme, Tennessee 2023

Crime Boss Behind Bars: Tennessee Social Club Owner Pleads Guilty in Campaign Finance Scheme

Nashville, TN – Joshua Smith, 45, former owner and operator of a social club in Nashville, pleaded guilty today to violating campaign finance laws to benefit Tennessee State Senator Brian Kelsey’s 2016 campaign for U.S. Congress.

According to court documents, Smith secretly and unlawfully funneled $67,000 of what is commonly referred to as ‘soft money’ from Kelsey’s Tennessee State Senate campaign committee to a national political organization that funded advertisements urging voters to support Kelsey in the August 2016 primary election.

Smith pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the solicitation, receipt, direction, transfer, and spending of at least $25,000 in ‘soft money’ in connection with a federal election.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 9, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

In connection with this scheme, Kelsey was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2021 and charged with conspiracy to defraud the Federal Election Commission, illegally transferring ‘soft money’ as a federal candidate, illegally transferring ‘soft money’ as a state officeholder, and making and accepting excessive contributions to a federal campaign.

The case is scheduled for trial in January 2023.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. and U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin made the announcement.

The FBI is investigating the case.

Smith’s plea agreement marks the latest development in a case that has implicated a prominent Tennessee politician and has raised questions about the influence of money in politics.

Defendant Information:

• Defendant: Joshua Smith
• Criminal Charges: Aiding and abetting the solicitation, receipt, direction, transfer, and spending of at least $25,000 in ‘soft money’ in connection with a federal election.
• City and State: Nashville, TN
• Exact Date: 2023
• Sentence: Scheduled to be sentenced on June 9, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison
• Dollar Amounts: $67,000

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