Ex-Doniphan vo-tech chief sentenced

The former director of the Doniphan Vo-Tech School was sentenced Tuesday afternoon to federal prison and ordered to pay more than $90,000 in restitution on multiple fraud charges, the Daily American Republic reported.

Michael Ray Smock was sentenced to seven months is prison on each of nine felonies by U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr., according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The charges were two felony counts of theft from an orga- nization receiving federal funds, three felony counts of mail fraud, three felony counts of wire fraud and one felony count of false statement.

Limbaugh ordered the sentences to run concurrently and for Smock to pay restitution of $90,565.41 to the Doniphan School District and its insurance carrier.

Upon release from prison, Smock will be placed on a three-year period of supervised release.

With his previous plea, Smock admitted that between Aug. 1, 2001 and Dec. 18, 2004, while serving as the director of vocational education for the district, he devised a scheme to defraud the school district, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the United States Department of Education, to obtain money and property.

Smock reportedly carried out his scheme by submitting false expenditure reports to DESE.

In certain instances, he used federal Perkins School funds to purchase computer systems and equipment. He converted the equipment to his own use and/or sold through his personal business, "Smock Computers," owned and operated from his residence in Doniphan.

Smock also prepared false and fraudulent purchase orders for computer equipment purportedly for use by the Vo-Tech School, which when received he sold in his business.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol, the United States Department of Education, the Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Doniphan School District assisted in the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Price handled the prosecution for the government.