Ariel_Smith

Ariel K. Smith

Ariel K. Smith

U.S. lawyer and politician

Ariel K. Smith is a U.S. Virgin Islands lawyer who served as the 19th attorney general of the United States Virgin Islands from 2023 to 2024.

Quick Facts 19th Attorney General of the United States Virgin Islands, Governor ...

Early life and education

Smith was born on Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.[1] She graduated from Charlotte Amalie High School.[1] She completed a J.D. from Rutgers Law School.[2]

Career

For over ten years, Smith worked in private practice as an associate attorney with Smock and Moorhead on Saint Thomas.[2][1] From 2006 to 2011, Smith was an assistant territorial public defender.[2][1] In this role, she worked in the criminal defense of misdemeanors and felony offenses such as domestic violence and white collar crimes.[2]

In 2011, Smith joined the civil division of the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Justice as an assistant attorney general, serving role for seven years.[2] In 2016, she was promoted to chief of the civil division where she oversaw five attorneys and two support staff.[2]

Attorney General of the Virgin Islands

On March 20, 2023, governor Albert Bryan nominated Smith to succeed Carol Thomas-Jacobs as the attorney general of the United States Virgin Islands.[2][3]

In May 2023, Elon Musk was subpoenaed by the US Virgin Islands in part of a larger lawsuit against JP Morgan's alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking operations.[4][5] The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court in Manhattan by former US Virgin Islands Attorney General Denise George, in 2022.[6]

On June 30, 2023, Smith was sworn in as attorney general on a permanent basis during a ceremony at the Governor's Mansion.[7] Smith resigned on March 15, 2024. [8]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Carlson, Suzanne (2023-05-15). "AG nominee says more staffing, resources needed". The Virgin Islands Daily News. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  2. [2]
    "Bryan Taps Ariel M. Smith as Nominee for Attorney General". St. Thomas Source. 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  3. [3]
    "Governor Bryan Nominates Ariel Smith for Attorney General". WTJX. March 21, 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  4. [4]
    "Elon Musk subpoenaed by US Virgin Islands in Jeffrey Epstein lawsuit". The Independent. 2023-05-16. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  5. [5]
    "Elon Musk subpoenaed over JPMorgan's role in Jeffrey Epstein's activities". The Guardian. 2023-05-15. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  6. [6]
    Flitter, Emily (2022-12-28). "U.S. Virgin Islands Sues JPMorgan Over Epstein Sex-Trafficking Scheme". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  7. [7]
    "Photo Focus: Ariel M. Smith Sworn-in As USVI Attorney General". The Saint Thomas Source. July 3, 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  8. [8]
    https://www.vi.gov/statement-from-governor-albert-bryan-jr-on-attorney-general-ariel-smiths-resignation/
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