Date: 06-19-2016

Case Style: United States of America v. Shannon Dale Smith

Case Number: 5:15-cr-00090-C

Judge: Sam R. Cummings

Court: United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas (Lubbock County)

Plaintiff's Attorney: Jeffrey Haag

Defendant's Attorney: Chuck Lanehart and Charles Blevins, Fred Stangl

Description: Lubbock, TX - Crosby County Man Sentenced to More than 12 Years in Federal Prison on Extortion and Firearms Convictions

Shannon Dale Smith of Crosbyton, Texas, was sentenced to serve a total of 147 months in federal prison on extortion and firearms convictions.

Smith, 46, was convicted at trial in March 2016 on one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence, and in January 2015, he pleaded guilty to one count of interstate communications with the intent to extort more than $500,000 from a Crosby County man. Senior Judge Cummings sentenced Smith to 60 months on the firearms conviction and 87 months on the extortion conviction, to run consecutively.
On October 29, 2015, Smith possessed three firearms − a Glock .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, a Rock River Arms .223 caliber semi-automatic rifle, and a Ruger .22 caliber rifle − in furtherance of transmitting communications to Crosbyton resident, Nathan Royce Boardman, threatening to kidnap and injure his wife, his daughters and his granddaughters.

Smith was carrying the Glock, .40 caliber pistol when he went to the drop location to see if Boardman had paid the extortion money. Smith also had the .223 caliber semi-automatic rifle and the .22 caliber rifle in his pickup truck as part of a hunting ruse in case he was stopped by law enforcement.

On Tuesday morning, October 27, 2015, Smith called Boardman and left a message on his answering machine that said: “We are watching you, there is a note on your north door.”

Boardman found the note that stated: “Follow these Instructions and no one will get Hurt. We Have a man watching your daughter. We Have a man watching your Granddaughter. We Have a man watching you and your wife. We are monitering [sic] your home and cell phone. If you call the police, we will know and someone will be taken from you. If you choose not to participate, someone will be taken from you. You have till Thursday at 9pm to put $525,000 in cash and or gold coins in a bag, duffel style. we [sic] will call you with further instructions. We are watching you. Do what you’re told and no one will be Hurt”.

On the morning of October 29, Boardman received another phone call from Smith in which Smith advised him that he had 14 hours left to get the money or else he would see what Boardman’s granddaughter looked like naked and correctly identified Boardman’s granddaughter by her first name. That evening, Smith called and left a message advising they’d better answer the phone or if they didn’t, it would be the last thing they would remember.

At approximately 6:44 p.m. that evening, Smith called Boardman and provided instructions to drop the extortion money. A short time later, Smith called Boardman again to confirm he had the correct instructions and advised Boardman if “we get a GPS tracker or a dye pack, there’ll be hell to pay.”

At approximately 8:55 p.m., that evening, law enforcement officers departed Boardman’s residence using Boardman’s vehicle and proceeded to the location Smith provided and threw a duffel bag in the weeds next to the boiler, as instructed. Law enforcement officers returned to Boardman’s residence in Boardman’s vehicle. Law enforcement identified a 2011 white GMC pickup truck in the area of the drop location, and they identified the two individuals in the truck as Smith and his minor son. At the time of his arrest, Smith had a semi-automatic pistol on his person.

The FBI, Texas Rangers, Texas Department of Public Safety - Criminal Investigations Division, Crosby County Sheriff’s Office and the Crosbyton Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Haag was in charge of the prosecution.

Outcome: Defendant was sentenced to 60 months on the firearms conviction and 87 months on the extortion conviction, to run consecutively

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Defendant's Experts:

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