Former State Rep. Robin Smith, a onetime chair of the Tennessee Republican Party, has been sentenced to eight months in prison for her role in promoting a fraudulent mail vendor scheme involving Phoenix Solutions. The sentence was handed down in federal court on Friday. Smith had previously been ordered to return the benefits of her role in the scheme. She has also been sentenced to one year of probation following her prison term.

Smith had pleaded guilty to a single public corruption charge in 2022 and cooperated with federal prosecutors in the case against former House Speaker Glen Casada and top legislative aide Cade Cothren. 

Smith took the stand for three days at the trial that resulted in convictions for both. Cothren was sentenced to 30 months in prison last month.  The Judge gave Casada a three-year prison term. Both are appealing their convictions.

Because of her almost immediate guilty plea and cooperation with prosecutors, many legal observers expected Smith to be given a suspended sentence rather than actual jail time. Both Casada and Cothren forced prosecutors to try their cases.

Steve Gill is editor and publisher of TriStar Daily.