Former transportation worker sentenced for defrauding state


Share this: Email | Facebook | X

Former Nevada Department of Transportation worker Tal Pierre Smith, 56, has been sentenced to up to four years in prison for defrauding the state to more than a quarter million dollars.

Smith was sentenced Tuesday by District Judge Thomas Stockard under a plea agreement in which he agreed to pay the state $250,639 in restitution.

Smith was employed by NDOT in Fallon where he used a state Visa card in his duties as a supply technician to illegally purchase unnecessary items and either sell them or use them for his own benefit.

A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office said the misappropriation of funds and property were discovered when some unauthorized equipment was delivered while Smith was on vacation. The crimes occurred over a four-year period, according to a spokesperson.

Smith will serve 18-48 months in state prison and, under the plea agreement, will make restitution to the state.