Former Wall Street Executive Receives 30-Year Sentence for Assault

WHO:

CNN - Edward Gene Smith, 50, a former managing director at Citigroup Inc.

CNN - Judge Paul A. Engelmayer presided over the sentencing.

CNN - US Attorney Jay Clayton commented on the case.

WHAT:

CNN - Edward Gene Smith was sentenced to 30 years in prison for sex crimes.

CNN - Smith pleaded guilty to sex crimes, receiving child pornography, and obstructing justice.

CNN - Prosecutors stated that Smith drugged a woman with the intent to rape her and sexually assaulted another woman.

CNN - Smith maintained tens of thousands of files of child sexual abuse material.

WHERE:

CNN - The sentencing took place in Manhattan federal court.

CNN - Smith used his New York Central Park residence to lure victims.

WHEN:

CNN - Smith's crimes occurred from 2015 to 2024.

CNN - Smith worked at Citigroup Inc. from 2021 until his arrest in 2024.

WHY:

CNN - Smith's lawyers claimed that autism spectrum disorder was the “primary driver” of his crimes.

CNN - Prosecutors described Smith's claim regarding autism as “inflammatory nonsense” and an “offensive smear” to the autistic community.

HOW:

CNN - Smith used promises of financial security to lure vulnerable young women to his residence.

CNN - He incapacitated victims using drugs before committing sexual assaults.

CNN - Smith hid his actions behind a facade of being a well-educated bank executive.

(UPDATED July 29, 2026 07:55 UTC)

Edward Gene Smith, a former managing director at Citigroup Inc., was sentenced to 30 years in prison for a series of sex crimes, including drugging a woman with the intent to rape her and maintaining tens of thousands of files of child sexual abuse material. The sentencing took place in Manhattan federal court, where prosecutors described Smith's defense, which claimed autism spectrum disorder was the primary driver of his actions, as “inflammatory nonsense.” Smith lured vulnerable young women to his New York Central Park residence with promises of financial security, using drugs to incapacitate them before committing his crimes.