Former Citigroup managing director drugged and sexually assaulted multiple women and sentenced to 30 years in prison
A former Citigroup managing director who drugged and sexually assaulted at least six women over nearly a decade has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison. Edward Gene Smith was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty seven months ago to sex trafficking, possession of child pornography, drug crimes and other charges. He admitted to intentionally drugging women in order to have sex with them and purchasing and possessing sexually explicit images of minors. Smith, 50, could face up to 80 years in prison if convicted after trial. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors agreed not to seek a sentence of more than 30 years. U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer rejected Smith's attorney's request for a lighter sentence. From at least 2015 to 2024, Smith targeted vulnerable young women online, luring them to his apartment in Central Park South, New York, and other locations, and drugging them without their consent. He sexually assaulted the victim when she was incapacitated and videotaped the crime. Smith graduated from Harvard University in 1997 and served as a managing director of Citigroup from 2021 until his arrest in 2024. Prior to Citi, he worked at , also worked at Banco Santander SA, State Street Bank and Oliver Wyman. Prosecutors said Smith worked in capital risk analysis at Citigroup and had a base annual salary of $400,000 at the time of his arrest, with a target bonus of $1 million. A Citi spokesperson said in a statement that Smith's termination was immediately initiated upon learning of the initial investigation by law enforcement agencies, before the outrageous allegations came to light. Citi fully cooperates with law enforcement authorities to help bring justice to the victims of these horrific crimes.