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The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy can intervene in the federal government's embezzlement case against its former chief financial officer, William A. Smith, who is accused of stealing $40 million from the nonprofit . The conservancy, which leads a continuing private revitalization of the city's riverfront properties not far from Smiths scheme says it needs to defend its interests as the biggest victim in Smith’s 10 year swindle.

The conservancy also filed its own state lawsuit against Smith, some of his family members and friends, and asked to be part of the federal civil case because it said it had numerous legal and property interests at stake. U.S. District Judge F, Kay Behm approved the intervention at yesterday following agreement from both Smith and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Detroit Riverfront Conservancy CFO Embezzlement : DOJ Civil & Criminal Enforcement

The DOJ filed a civil complaint for injunctive relief against Smith in June, alleging that he tried to move assets to family members and sell off properties like his yacht and real estate. The DOJ has sought to have Smith's $44 million in assets frozen.

Over the course of more than a decade, Smith allegedly shepherded millions in donations earmarked to revamp the riverfront to instead enrich himself. Federal prosecutors also filed a criminal complaint, which was unsealed in June against Sharpe raising the stakes of his case.

As Conserving Efforts, Funds Stolen from.foundation

The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy is actively pursuing litigation to recoup the almost $40 million which Smith purportedly embezzled. The conservancy's participation in the federal case is an effort to make sure that whatever comes out of both civil and criminal proceedings exonerates it from activities with which its leaders were not involved.

The conservancy's state court lawsuit, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy Inc. v. William Smith et al., is ongoing in Wayne County Circuit Court while the federal civil and criminal cases proceed in U.S District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.