Defense Attorney Secures Four Pretrial Diversions for UF Student Facing 10+ Year Prison Sentence on Felony Fraud Charges
Prosecutors with the Eighth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office (SAO8) have given a current or former student with the University of Florida (UF) pretrial diversions for her felony fraud cases.
Alana Smith, 19, was a UF student at the time of the offense and it remains unclear if she had any significant disciplinary consequences at the university. She is currently trespassed from the area of the crime but not UF campus entirely.
In April, UF Police Department (UFPD) officers charged Smith with eight felonies and six misdemeanors relating to her commission of a series of thefts at the UF Southwest Recreation Center. She rummaged through students’ bags in the locker room and stole several items from multiple victims, to include credit/debit cards.
Initially facing over 40 years in prison, Smith posted a $28,000 bond after her arrest and retained legal counsel from Criminal Defense Attorney Matt Landsman. Her maximum sentence was heavily reduced in June, with prosecutors dropping several of her charges.
GnvInfo attempted to contact Landsman for comment but did not get a response.
Smith was granted pretrial diversions for her felony and the majority of her remaining misdemeanor charges in July. Prosecutors granted her an additional pretrial diversion earlier this month for her final misdemeanor charge.
This means that if Smith can abide by certain conditions established between her attorney and the prosecution until around early 2028, the State will outright drop her charges.
In comparison to other SAO8 pretrial diversion dispositions, Smith’s case is arguably more reasonable than some prior cases.
Smith is young, she has a background in sports leadership as a high school student, she appears to have no prior criminal history and the charges are non-violent. Because of the nature of the charges, Smith would’ve had over 15 years of exposure if found guilty of all the counts she took a pretrial diversion for.
SAO8 has previously granted pretrial diversions in cases of reported domestic violence, as well as at least one case involving alleged sex offender registration violations.
Jack Walden
Jack Walden
Jack Walden
