With $30,000 Funneled to Smithermans, We Were Right

On August 14, 2017, we foreshadowed what could happen in the future with the post “Will Carole Smitherman be the next Oliver Robinson?”

Judge Carole Smitherman is the presiding judge of the secretive and criminal Star Chamber that was formed two weeks after our post was written.

Oliver Robinson is the former Alabama State Representative who was indicted in a bribery scheme along with two Balch & Bingham partners and a Drummond Co. executive that allegedly suppressed African-Americans from getting their toxic and contaminated property tested in North Birmingham.

We wrote at the time:

Will Smitherman allow Balch and others to abuse her credibility as a  respected constitutional law professor like Balch abused Robinson’s credibility and legacy as a UAB basketball star?

Will Smitherman protect her legacy as the first African-American female mayor of Birmingham, who served with distinction on the city council or toss it aside for 30 pieces of campaign silver?

Will Smitherman stand up to the lying sacks of marbles once and for all and treat all parties with fairness and due process regardless of campaign contributions?

Time Smitherman took the reins back.

And then came the “campaign contributions” not only directly to Judge Smitherman, but the vast majority to her husband, Alabama State Senator Rodger Smitherman.

Over $30,000 in cash.

The contributions were given by entities involved in the Newsome Conspiracy Case, funded or closely tied to Balch & Bingham partners, or run by former Balch & Bingham partners. Some contributions look like pay-throughs from Drummond Co. Others were entities supported by the two indicted Balch partners.

Half of the contributions were from first-time contributors, according to state digital records kept since 2013.

Maybe the contributions are just “coincidental” but what will investigators find?

We created this chart last year.

We can now add six additional entities used for contributions to the Smithermans and modify the known amount to over $45,000.

Since the Star Chamber has been tightly sealed for 265 days and counting, we have no idea what is happening except that it in itself is a miscarriage of justice.

We also learned the 30 pieces of silver we foreshadowed looks like they came in $1,000 denominations.

Shame on the Smithermans!