Former AMA chairman Dal Smilie arraigned in Ohio court.
Fairfield County, OH (June 8,2009) - American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) former Board of Directors Chairman Dal Smilie was arraigned today at 9:30 a.m. in the Fairfield County Hall of Justice on two felony charges related to evidence discovered by the AMA that Mr. Smilie submitted unsubstantiated expense reimbursement claims over a period of years.
Mr. Smilie is accused of grand theft by deception and receiving stolen property from the motorcycle group, based in suburban Columbus, between January 2003 and December 2007. Smilie was a member of the association’s board of directors for 25 years, including a term as chairman, before he resigned in November 2007.
Mr. Smilie entered a plea of not guilty in response to the Fairfield County grand jury indictment. He was freed on a $25,000 surety bond and a $10,000 recognizance bond.
Smilie, 60, said he was surprised with his arrest since he thought he and the AMA had reached an amicable settlement almost a year ago. He allegedly had inflated travel reimbursement claims. “The amount that we had in dispute about the travel claims were all more than refunded,” Smilie said. “Our indication was that it was a civil matter.”
In a column last September in the motorcycle association’s magazine, AMA chairman Stan Simpson said that while they made changes to “help us avoid the kind of financial shenanigans that we recently experienced with a former board chairman” and recently entered into a six-figure settlement that satisfied the board’s demand for reparations, it didn’t eliminate the possibility of criminal proceedings by local authorities.
“Two things took place,” said AMA spokesman Pete terHorst. “There was a civil action, which was resolved between Mr. Smilie and the AMA that happened last summer. But we also turned over the results of the investigation by AMA to the county attorney.”
