Former NFL assistant coach arrested on sex trafficking charges, Arizona officials say
A former NFL assistant coach was indicted Thursday on multiple felony charges, from sex trafficking to money laundering to taking earnings from prostitutes, Arizona’s attorney general said.
Mikal Smith was arrested on Wednesday afternoon at his home in Tempe, WCIA reported. He is the son of Lovie Smith, head football coach at the University of Illinois and former coach of the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Other charges that Smith is facing include conspiracy, illegally conducting an enterprise and threatening or intimidating, according to a news release from the office of Attorney General Mark Brnovich.
Smith, along with co-defendant Aprel Mae Rasmussen, are accused of operating and maintaining an illegal prostitution enterprise from December 2018 to September 2019. Rasmussen is also accused as working as a prostitute.
They were indicted by a State Grand Jury.
“It is alleged that Smith and Rasmussen induced and encouraged an adult female victim to engage in acts of prostitution for over two months,” the release said. “Smith purportedly used constant surveillance and threats of retaliation to keep the victim under his control.”
Smith, 43, was a secondary coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and also worked as an assistant for the Bears and Dallas Cowboys. Before coaching in the NFL Smith coached at Trinity International University. He played college football at the University of Arizona.
This story was originally published September 3, 2020 at 4:58 PM with the headline "Former NFL assistant coach arrested on sex trafficking charges, Arizona officials say."