Doctor stole disaster aid from Helene victims in NC, cops say. He’s sentenced
A Florida doctor posing as a Helene disaster relief volunteer has pleaded guilty to stealing supplies intended for storm victims in North Carolina, according to prosecutors.
Mark Anthony Smith, 56, took camping stoves, sleeping bags, heaters, propane tanks, and generators, then sold them to pawn shops for a profit, the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office said in a Dec. 15 news release.
Smith, who lives from Jacksonville, Florida, pleaded guilty to five counts of felony larceny “related to the theft of disaster relief donations and personal property intended to aid victims of Hurricane Helene,” prosecutors said.
His sentence includes time already served in jail, plus 85 months “suspended consecutively.” Smith must also “report the felony convictions to the appropriate state medical licensing board as required by law,” officials said. He
“The charges stemmed from incidents that occurred in the Swannanoa area in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, where a non-profit organization was providing essential supplies to victims,” the District Attorney’s Office reported.
“The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office investigation revealed that Smith, posing as a volunteer, stole over $12,000 in donated disaster relief supplies. ... These items were later recovered by deputies at a local pawn shop where Smith had sold them for cash. Smith also stole over $2,000 in personal items belonging to the organization’s operator.”
Smith was arrested in late October 2024, after Asheville-area investigators reported finding $12,000 in stolen items in his U-Haul truck, according to the Citizen Times. The items had been donated to the disaster relief agency Hearts Hurt, which was working to distribute supplies, investigators say. The head of Hearts Hurt, Dave Graham, is listed in court documents as one of Smith’s victims.
“The defendant’s actions violated public trust and insulted the generosity of those who donated to help our community in a moment of need,” District Attorney Todd Williams said in the news release.
“This sentence ensures the defendant is held accountable and requires him to report these felony convictions to his medical licensing authority.”
This story was originally published December 16, 2025 at 1:28 PM with the headline "Doctor stole disaster aid from Helene victims in NC, cops say. He’s sentenced."