Florida doctor pleads guilty to larceny charges related to theft of Helene donations
By Ruby Annas
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BUNCOMBE COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — A licensed Florida doctor pleaded guilty to five felony charges related to the theft of donation supplies intended to aid Hurricane Helene victims in 2024, the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office announced in a Dec. 15, 2025, press release.
Mark Anthony Smith, 56, of Jacksonville, Florida, was sentenced after pleading guilty to five counts of felony larceny, according to the press release. The plea did not include the DA’s Office’s negotiated plea agreement, which requested that the court consider an active sentence time.
According to the DA’s Office, Smith was sentenced to six to 17 months in prison for each of the five counts, suspended consecutively, resulting in a total suspended sentence of 30 to 85 months.
As News 13 previously reported, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office recovered more than $12,000 worth of stolen donations, including camping stoves, heaters, propane tanks, and generators, from Hearts Hurt, an Ohio nonprofit operating in Swannanoa. Smith was charged with stealing these items while posing as a volunteer in Oct. 2024.
Deputies later recovered the items at a local pawn shop where Smith sold them for cash, according to the DA’s Office.
Smith’s arrest warrant states that he also stole $2,000 worth of camping supplies and other property from Hearts Hurt owner/operator, Dave Graham and never returned the U-Haul he rented, News 13 previously reported.
“The defendant’s actions violated public trust and insulted the generosity of those who donated to help our community in a moment of need,” said District Attorney Todd Williams in the release. “This sentence ensures the defendant is held accountable and requires him to report these felony convictions to his medical licensing authority.”
The judge ordered Smith to report the convictions to the appropriate state medical licensing board, since it’s required by law, according to the press release.
The judge also included an active split sentence of days, which Smith already served in the Buncombe County Detention Center.
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