Nashville social club owner Joshua Smith pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a campaign finance scheme. A five-count indictment filed in October 2021 alleges that Smith, owner of The Standard club, and Tennessee State Senator Brian Kelsey violated campaign finance laws by illegally concealing the transfer of $91,000 during the lawmaker’s congressional campaign in 2016. Smith pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the solicitation and spending of at least $25,000 of so-called “soft money”. His sentencing hearing will be June 9, 2023, where the maximum penalty is five years in prison.
Senator Brian Kelsey has pleading not guilty to federal campaign fraud charges and his trial is set to begin in about three months. The Republican senator, who is not seeking reelection this year, says the charges are a “political witch hunt.”