Despite being a member of a legislative committee that crafts bills designed to crack down on criminals, Democrat state Sen. Jeff Smith is now facing possible jail time and a fine after being cited by Missouri Gaming officials for presenting false identification to gain access to a gambling boat.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Kansas City Star and the political website PubDef reported this week that Smith was cited July 31 with a Class B misdemeanor after illegally entering the Isle of Capri Casino in Boonville while attending a “legislative tour” with other Democrat lawmakers. Smith, who serves on the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, faces a fine of up to $500 and six months in jail.

The incident occurred just hours before Smith, who is also heading up the Senate Democratic Campaign for 2008, began touting newly re-invented Democrat Chris Koster as a person of integrity. Smith said he broke the law because he had left his driver’s license outside the casino. A driver’s license is required to obtain a player’s card that tracks how much money a person spends and limits them to $500 in losses during a two-hour span. The player’s cards also prevent gamblers who are banned from Missouri casinos from entering, including those with a gambling problem. Given the seriousness of the offense, the Missouri Republican Party called for the release of surveillance tapes that recorded Smith’s activities at the Isle of Capri.

Later this week, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Democrat state Rep. Joe Aull, who was on the “tour”, conspired with Smith to obtain the illegal player’s card. There also are unanswered questions about whether taxpayer money was used to pay for the lawmakers’ visit to the gambling boat.

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