Quaker City man accused of obstructing justice and threatening agents

A federal grand jury indicted Jesse M. Smith, 38, of Quaker City, Ohio, today for obstructing the proceedings of a federal grand jury and threatening two federal agents, said Carole S. Rendon, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

The indictment alleges in the first count that Smith obstructed the proceedings of a federal grand jury in Cleveland, Ohio, by producing false and misleading documents in response to a subpoena.  The second count of the indictment alleges that Smith threatened to harm a special agent of the United States Department of Agriculture on September 19, 2016.  The last count of the indictment alleges that Smith threatened to shoot a different special agent of the USDA four days later on September 23, 2016.

The USDA Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation along with the FBI.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Duncan T. Brown and Brad J. Beeson.

If convicted, the court will determine the defendant’s sentence after a review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation.  In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum.  In most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.