One of the former executives of the American financial company Citigroup, Edward Gene Smith, received a 30-year prison sentence in a case of sexualized violence and possession of tens of thousands of files of child abuse (so-called child pornography). According to the Associated Press (AP), Smith's lawyers insisted in court that the man was unaware of his actions due to autism.
According to prosecutors, Smith committed crimes between 2015 and 2024, when he also served as Managing Director (MD) at Citi for several years. This is one of the leading positions in the company, overseen only by senior management headed by the CEO.
Smith secretly added the tranquilizer clonazepam to possible victims' drinks, and then raped them and filmed the events in photos and videos, the prosecution noted. One of the alleged victims was 17 years old. According to prosecutors, the victims were young foreign women with financial difficulties who were trusted by Smith's “facade of intelligence” as he invited them to his Manhattan apartment.
Files with child porn, including images of prepubescent children, were found on a 50-year-old man during searches. He was arrested in September 2024. In addition to charges of sexual assault and possession of child porn, Smith was charged with attempting to interfere with an investigation.
Despite Smith's guilty plea in January 2026, lawyers asked the New York judge for leniency in sentencing and cited the man's diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Lawyers said the Harvard University graduate “was horrified to learn that his relationships with girls he considered his lovers were improper and perceived as bullying and violence.” Smith, by the way, has been married since 2012.
Federal prosecutors for the Southern District of New York, led by Jay Clayton, called the defendant's defense “outrageous nonsense” that insults people with autism. Judge Paul Engelmayer ultimately imposed the sentence the prosecution requested. Smith will also be required to report to law enforcement agencies for life upon release.
As RTVI reported, prosecutor Clayton was confirmed on Wednesday as the director of US National Intelligence and the case could probably be the last one he brought to completion in his current post.
