Man sentenced for moonshine operation

ROANOKE, Va. - A Franklin County man convicted of running a moonshine operation will spend four years in a federal prison.

Prosecutors say 61-year-old Jody Alton Smith oversaw an operation in Halifax County that produced about 16,000 gallons of moonshine. That's the equivalent of filling a backyard swimming pool deep enough to dive into.

Smith was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Roanoke on charges that included conspiracy to make moonshine and perjury. U.S. District Judge James Turk also ordered Smith to pay $217,795 in taxes owed to the federal government for the moonshine.

Earlier Wednesday, 58-year-old Margaret Smith received a year and a day in prison for the same charges. She owned the land where the moonshine was made.