Worcester Man Sentenced for Attempting to Bribe Witness Testifying in Federal Lawsuit

BOSTON – A Worcester man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for offering to pay a witness who was testifying in a federal lawsuit.

Jerome Smith, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patti B. Saris to six months in prison to be served consecutively to an 11-13 year state sentence he is currently serving. In February 2018, Smith pleaded guilty to one count of witness bribery.

Smith was the plaintiff in a federal lawsuit seeking monetary damages against the City of Worcester and others in connection with an alleged incident involving the Worcester Police Department. Smith offered to pay two witnesses in connection with their testimony in the federal court proceedings. The two witnesses each testified falsely during depositions conducted in connection with the federal lawsuit. For example, one witness stated that she saw a police officer hitting Smith with a fire extinguisher and kicking Smith, though the witness later admitted that she did not see any police officer hit Smith with a fire extinguisher or kick Smith. Smith’s lawyer attempted to introduce the deposition testimony of this witness at trial, despite the witness having told the lawyer about Smith’s offer to pay her.

United States Attorney Andrew Lelling and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Office, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Abely of Lelling’s Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case.