Former Film Chief Faces Federal Indictment

Fri Aug 17, 2007

The former head of the Louisiana Film Commission has been charged with conspiracy and bribery.

Federal prosecutors accuse Mark Smith of inflating a production company's budget so that the company could receive state tax incentives.

U.S. Attorney Jim Letten also said that Smith accepted $65,000 in bribe money.

"We believe that helping to clean up the practices in this industry will help benefit their economy by making Louisiana an even more attractive place to do business, and we do it by simply enforcing federal law," Letten said.

If convicted on both charges, Smith could face up to 15 years in prison.