Saratoga Man Sentenced For Money Laundering

On Monday, Michael J. Smith, 62, of Saratoga, was sentenced to five years of probation for conspiring to launder money. Smith is ordered to pay $208,263.22 in restitution to defrauded government entities. WTEN reports Smith admitted to conspiring with a woman he met online and her purported attorney to launder over $200,000 in fraudulently obtained government benefits that mostly came from COVID-19 relief programs. The funds were obtained through fraudulent unemployment insurance applications and business loan applications.