Clippers commentator Michael Smith to be arraigned on grand theft charges - Los Angeles Times
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Clippers commentator Michael Smith to be arraigned on grand theft charges

By Austin KnoblauchSenior Editor, Sports 
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Clippers commentator Michael Smith is accused of stealing $735,000 from a retired schoolteacher and is scheduled to be arraigned in Orange County Superior Court on grand theft charges later today.

Prosecutors say Smith and an associate persuaded a former teacher with an inoperable brain tumor to use his home as collateral for a loan on a development project that never went through. The 65-year-old man is expected to lose his home.

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The arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m.

[UPDATED, 9:41 a.m.: Smith’s lawyer, Dyke Huish, has denied the charges. ‘Mike is absolutely not guilty of any criminal activity, period, and we fully expect to show this in court,’ Huish told The Times.]

Huish acknowledged Smith owed money and that he intends on paying it back.

Smith, 44, could face up to five years in prison if convicted.

-- Austin Knoblauch

Sports Now
Austin Knoblauch

Austin Knoblauch is a senior editor in Sports at the Los Angeles Times, overseeing NFL coverage and digital initiatives. He previously worked as an editor and writer at NFL.com. He initially joined The Times in 2005, serving in various web editing and reporting roles. Knoblauch’s favorite sports are football, hockey and auto racing. He is a native of Southern California and graduated from Mount St. Mary’s University in Los Angeles.

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