FDLE: Investigation into possible mortgage fraud by Keys agent won't be quick

A Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation against Kathy Smith, a Key West-based FDLE agent suspended with pay last month following allegations of mortgage fraud, remains "active" and isn't close to closure, agency spokeswoman Samantha Andrews said this week.

Smith, who divorced former Key West police officer Scott Smith in 2009, allegedly signed bank mortgage papers with him, saying they were still married, in 2010.

"Cases like these typically take quite a while," Andrews said. "It is definitely not something that will be wrapped up in a few days."

Kathy Smith, who makes $93,634 annually, is perhaps best known for leading the FDLE's investigation into the Key West Police Department's in-custody death of Michigan resident Charles Eimers last year.

The 61-year-old was taken down to his stomach on South Beach and arrested by police on Thanksgiving 2013 after initially fleeing a traffic stop. He reportedly began turning blue and later died at Lower Keys Medical Center Dec. 4.

A grand jury reviewed the case but returned with no indictments. The Eimers family sued the city and 13 police officers in federal court alleging wrongful death earlier this year. The case is pending.

Scott Smith, then still a member of the Police Department, played a role in the investigation of Eimers' death, which led some to believe it created a conflict of interest for Kathy Smith. The FDLE said it didn't.

This story was originally published December 13, 2014 at 9:40 AM with the headline "FDLE: Investigation into possible mortgage fraud by Keys agent won't be quick."