Ex-Milton DPW chief gets 10-20 years for bilking elderly Rochester woman's estate

Sheriff's deputies place Michael Smith in cuffs following a sentencing hearing today at Strafford Superior Court in Dover. (Rochester Voice photo)

DOVER - A former Milton public works chief was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in state prison today for his bilking of an elderly Rochester woman, who was a former Milton selectperson.
Michael R. Smith, 59, of Avon Park, Fla., was placed in handcuffs by Sheriff's Deputies before being slowly escorted out of the courtroom following sentencing by Strafford Superior Court Judge Mark E. Howard, who sharply condemned Smith for his heartless targeting of Mary G. Kibbe's $1.8 million dollars.
Smith claimed at trial that he was a friend of Kibbe's, which made his action all the more heinous, Howard said today.
"I think you took advantage of her," Howard said. "You betrayed her and were disloyal."
Smith, who represented himself during his May trial and at today's sentencing, urged he be given a suspended sentence during a 30-minute plea to Howard, but Howard was having none of it.
"You have been lying to everyone about everything," Howard said during the imposition of his sentence.
As the hearing ended and a pair of Sheriff's deputies approached the defense table to place Smith in handcuffs, he asked the judge if he would be able to wear his Hare Krishna garb while in prison.
"It's my religion," he pleaded.
"That's not up to this court," Howard said as Smith was taken into custody.
Smith was found guilty in May of two counts of theft by unauthorized taking and three counts of attempted theft by unauthorized taking.
Once Smith has finished his 10-20 years state prison sentence, he'll face another similar sentence, all suspended for 10 years upon his release.
As part of the sentencing Smith was also ordered to make restitution to Kibbe's estate in the amount of $495,000, money that Smith got his hands on and spent.
Smith used forged documents, phony notary seals and fake letterhead to impersonate attorneys and notaries in his scheme to become sole heir and executor of Kibbe's $1.8 million estate. Kibbe, a former Milton selectperson, died in November 2017, just months after Smith moved into her palatial 5,000 square foot home on Stanley Pond Drive in Rochester.
Smith spent about $500,000 of Kibbe's money in the days and weeks immediately following her death on Nov. 11, 2017, including a couple of mobile homes in Florida, a brand new Chevrolet truck for $41,000 and a trailer for $7,000. He also offered to pay thousands of dollars for a local attorney to write a letter to authorities saying that his shenanigans were kosher. The attorney refused.