A former Citigroup managing director has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for a decade-long pattern of predatory behavior, including drugging and raping multiple women and possessing over 9,000 child sexual abuse images. Edward Gene Smith, 50, admitted to these crimes, which he committed from his luxury Manhattan apartment.
Prosecutors described Smith, a Harvard-educated executive, as a serial rapist who used his wealth and status to lure and exploit young victims. Court documents revealed he kept detailed planning notes, including spreadsheets, on how to drug his victims and documented some of the assaults, sharing them with online groups. U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton stated that Smith hid behind a facade of education and status while committing egregious sexual crimes.
Smith's offenses came to light when he was arrested in late 2024 on a six-count indictment. He ultimately pleaded guilty to four charges: drugging a victim with intent to rape, enticing a victim to travel to New York for sex, receiving child pornography, and obstruction of justice.
In one incident in April 2023, Smith lured a victim to his Central Park South apartment, laced her drink with the sedative Klonopin, and then raped her while she was unconscious. He recorded this assault and shared the footage. He also repeatedly drugged and sexually assaulted a college student he had convinced to move to New York, subsequently controlling her finances and threatening her.
Prosecutors detailed further alleged crimes, including paying a victim $2,500 for two nights in 2015, and later creating a spreadsheet titled 'girl retrospective' outlining a plan to drug her again. His notes allegedly detailed plans to use "4 capsules full of dissolved k [Klonopin] 2mg." In the fall of 2021, he allegedly targeted a 17-year-old on Seeking.com, spiking her drink after she turned 18 and then sexually assaulting her. He is also accused of posting her photos on a website advertising prostitution services and forcing her to have sex with another man, for which he allegedly pocketed the cash.
Investigators discovered more than 9,000 unique files of child sexual abuse material on multiple devices, dating back to 2012. Smith attempted to blame his actions on an autism diagnosis, an excuse prosecutors called an "offensive smear." Victims shared statements detailing the lasting trauma and anguish caused by his crimes.
Smith, who had a career in high finance including roles at Oliver Wyman, State Street, Santander, and BlackRock, joined Citigroup in 2021 as a managing director. A Citigroup spokesperson confirmed he was fired immediately upon learning of the initial probe in 2024 and that the bank cooperated with law enforcement.
Smith married Heather in 2012 and is a stepfather to her children. The couple own a shared home in South Carolina, which the government is seeking to seize and sell to help pay restitution to his victims. Attorneys for Smith had argued for leniency, citing his wife's planned divorce and her relocation to care for a grandchild.
