BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – A convicted West Virginia sex offender pleaded guilty today to failing to provide information related to foreign travel as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
According to court documents and statements made in court, Andrew Todd Smith, 32, of Peterstown, Monroe County, admitted that he traveled to South Africa in November 2021 without providing the required advanced notification. Smith was required to register as a sex offender under SORNA after he was convicted of three counts of third-degree sexual assault in Monroe County Circuit Court in 2013. Smith admitted that when he registered as a sex offender with the West Virginia State Police, he signed written forms acknowledging his requirement to report any international travel at least 21 days in advance.
Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on August 2, 2022, and faces up to 10 years in prison, supervised release of five years and up to life, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the United States Marshals Service and the West Virginia State Police for conducting the investigation.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald is prosecuting the case.
SORNA is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 and provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States. SORNA seeks to strengthen the nationwide network of sex offender registration and notification programs, in part by requiring registered sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction in which they reside, work, or go to school.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:22-cr-50.
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