Jeff Smith released early from probation

ST. LOUIS (AP) -A former Missouri state senator once considered a rising star in state politics has been released early from probation.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/ymxR78) reports that U.S. District Judge Carol Jackson on Wednesday ended Jeff Smith's probation about 10 months early.

Smith, a Democrat, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, along with two years of probation, for lying to federal authorities who were investigating misdeeds associated with his 2004 run for Congress.

A co-conspirator, former Democratic state Rep. Steve Brown, was released early from probation last year.

The Post-Dispatch reports that since getting out of federal prison, Smith has been in New York, teaching politics and offering commentary on the election season.

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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com