Powder Springs Woman Pleads Guilty in Real Estate Scheme

MARIETTA, GA -- A Powder Springs woman pled guilty on Monday to racketeering, burglary, and other charges related to a real estate scheme.

As jury selection was about to begin for her trial, Mona Lisa Smiley, 60, entered a guilty plea to 18 counts, including two counts of racketeering, five counts of burglary, five counts of theft by taking, four counts of theft by deception, and one count each of forgery and filing false documents.

The investigation found that in fall 2014, Smiley and two codefendants were engaged in a scheme by which they entered vacant houses for the purpose of taking them over, and then advertised the houses for rent on Craigslist. The defendants actually rented out five houses in Cobb County to unsuspecting tenants, and there is evidence they were planning to do the same with several more houses.

Smiley was also a notary public who falsely notarized a Quitclaim Deed that was then filed in the Cobb Superior Court Clerk’s Office on one of the properties.

After hearing sentencing recommendations from the state and the defense, Cobb Superior Court Judge C. LaTain Kell sentenced Smiley to 10 years, with four years to serve in custody and the rest on probation. She was ordered to pay $1,100 in restitution to two of the tenant victims and perform 100 hours of community service. Judge Kell also imposed special conditions that Smiley not participate in adverse possession of any property and that she not be involved in renting out any property she does not own.