[BobbyB]

Ex-radio personality to plead guilty in fraud

The former radio personality known on WDJX-FM as Todd Kelly will plead guilty to charges in connection with allegations that he faked Lou Gehrig's disease and cancer, then stole as much as $150,000 that had been donated for disease research, according to court records.

Federal court documents show that Kelly, whose real name is Todd Smith and who previously pleaded not guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering, is to appear Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Louisville to change his plea.

Phil Chance, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, confirmed that Smith is scheduled to change his plea but said that he couldn't comment on the agreement. Smith's lawyer, Jamie Haworth, a federal public defender, couldn't be reached for comment.

Federal authorities have said Todd Smith first told his family, friends and co-workers that doctors had said he had Lou Gehrig's disease and would live only three to five years. In 2004, he announced that he also had developed bone cancer and might lose both legs, the FBI has said.

Smith's Todd Kelly Foundation, as well as Smith's friends, sponsored events to raise money for research. The FBI has said that Smith, of Louisville, used the money for personal expenses.

A federal grand jury in March alleged that Smith committed the offenses between Jan. 1, 2001, and April 30, 2006, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

His mother, Sybil Smith of Hardin County, who was treasurer of his foundation, has pleaded guilty to having knowledge of wire fraud and will be sentenced Sept. 6.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/...94/1008/NEWS01