Paul Smith Convicted - At least they reported it.

Dear Readers,

It never ceases to amaze me how no matter what kind of garbage (or how much) turns up in connection with Nexus, the local papers jump in with what seems to be damage control on behalf of Nexus. What's with all the talk of "exonoration"? What's with including Smith's plea of innocence? Why put THAT in the article? Almost all hardcore criminals claim they are innocent, don't they? Smith was proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Oh well. Maybe its just filler to make a short story long.... NEXUS' MILLE LACS ACADEMY DIRECTOR PAUL LYNN SMITH- GUILTY. GUILTY AND CONVICTED. Yep. That about sums it up. 'Nuff said.

And then there's Hutchinson's lame defense. They SCREENED HIM? They WATCHED him? Oh really? Like they 'watch' their sex offenders? Ye gads! These attempts at bamboozling the public are getting more and more ridiculous. Just how stupid do they think we are?

They always make sure to include that Nexus is a "non-profit" company. I think I'm the only one to notice that this "non-profit" has an annual budget of $40 MILLION? Hey, most of it came from your tax dollars. Maybe Nexus should ask Paul Smith to send you a thank you note for your "contribution" to their "non-profit". Ooops! He doesn't work there anymore. I wonder if his current facility is unlocked.... Personally, I hope he rooms with a 6'7", 12", 300 pound Poor Troubled Boy named Bubba. You going to sue me again for stating my feelings just then Vic? Geez.

HANNABELLE! YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH! SHAME ON YOU! SO WHAT IF HE STOLE A LITTLE MONEY FROM THE EMPLOYEES BENEFITS PROGRAM. SO WHAT IF HE SKIMMED THE TILL! AT LEAST HE DIDN'T USE UGLY WORDS LIKE YOU DO! PAUL SMITH WAS A NICE GUY! HOW DARE YOU BAD-MOUTH HIM! IT WASN'T HIS FAULT THEY CONVICTED HIM!

Yeah. He was probably very well behaved in church too.

Please contrast the following Mille Lacs County Times article with the comment below by a former Marie Detty employee who actually worked with Smith and bravely came forward to share her experience. Which perception do you think is more accurate? Who is more credible?Who do you believe? Nexus? The ProNexus propaganda? Or the person who knew the real Paul Smith? Because of my own personal experience with that disgusting criminal, I choose Door Number 3, Monty.

Enjoy.

From the Mille Lacs County Times,

Mille Lacs Academy Exec. Director convicted

Mille Lacs Academy Executive Director, Paul Smith, was convicted Thursday, Oct. 15 by an Oklahoma Federal District Court on charges stemming from his employment with Marie Detty Youth and Family Services Center, Inc., of Lawton, Okla., from 2001 to 2004.
Smith was convicted of four counts of embezzlement of funds from an employee pension plan and making false claims to investigators. Mail fraud charges were dismissed.
Sentencing is scheduled for late January, 2010.

The Mille Lacs Academy is a residential juvenile sex offender treatment program in Onamia.
Earlier in the year, in a released statement, Smith said, “These charges were thoroughly investigated in 2004 by the Marie Detty board of directors. I was exonerated of all allegations, and all charges were dropped. I’m sure the federal charges will be dropped as well.”

David Hutchinson, the CEO of Nexus, a Minnesota nonprofit corporation which operates Mille Lacs Academy, responded to Smith’s conviction with this statement:
“Paul Smith joined Nexus in 2007 as executive director of Mille Lacs Academy after a thorough
background investigation. At that time, we found that both the Marie Detty organization and the Oklahoma Health & Human Services Department had investigated the same transactions on which the conviction is based, and that both investigations had exonerated Mr. Smith in 2004.
“Paul Smith has always exhibited excellence in his duties as director of Mille Lacs Academy. When we learned of the Oklahoma indictment, our position was to let the justice system take its course. However, we want to assure our referral sources and the public that we maintained vigilant oversight and supervision of all financial and operational matters at Mille Lacs Academy since learning of the indictment and that the independent financial audits performed during Paul’s leadership at Mille Lacs Academy have shown no irregularities.

“As a result of this conviction, Paul has submitted his resignation, and Nexus has accepted it, effective immediately. Patrick Rookey, Vice President Clinical Operations, will serve as interim director. A search for a permanent replacement is already underway.”
The embezzlement and false statement convictions each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.


Comments (1)
...written by Melanie Smith, October 23, 2009
I am a former employee of Marie Detty Youth and Family Services in Lawton, Oklahoma. Paul was a brilliant man but unfortnately he lacked ethics and character. I was the former Director of one of his Group Homes. It was obvious to me from early on that he was only interested in the financial aspect of the program and had very little concern for the welfare of the children in his facility. Now it is obvious why he was so concerned about making a profit because he was lining his own pockets. I have known Paul for over 20 years and for the most part I liked him until I went to work for him. He is not a nice man. He has hurt many people by his actions and took money from his own employees. The sad thing is, I know he still slept fine at night. If he has any remorse at all, it is due to the fact that he has been caught.