'Mr Smith is a good person'

Friends and family members of disgraced foreign-exchange trader David Smith have submitted letters to the United States District Court in Orlando pleading for mercy for the man who led the Olint Ponzi scheme.

In a memorandum filed in court last week, Smith's lawyers noted that despite pleading guilty to 23 counts, he has continued to receive moral and emotionally support from his family and friends who regularly visit him while he is incarcerated.

The lawyers argued that Smith started Olint intending to actually trade on behalf of his clients.

"Mr Smith in fact did this and was able to achieve significant gains for his clients in the very early days of operation. The initial success was the oxygen that fuelled an increased demand by additional individuals requesting that Mr Smith trade on their behalf," the lawyers submitted to the court.

"Not wanting to disappoint, he submitted to the overwhelming pressures of the need to succeed and strayed from his original aim," added Smith's lawyers.

Excerpts from the letters submitted to the court were contained in the memorandum filed last Friday.

Growing up, Dave served as the perfect example of what I wanted my own husband to be like, and when considering my choice in a mate, I looked for the qualities that Dave exhibited as a husband and how he treated Tracey as I wanted to be treated in the same exact manner.

- Rachel Christian, cousin

Mr Smith was also one of the brothers who gave me encouraging words when my wife and I were going through a difficult time. He, being a father of four beautiful children, made his words resonate in my head allowing me to find the strength to deal with the situation and, in turn, helped me be a pillar of strength to my wife.

- Bradley Jules, friend, church member

He is a good person, a good friend and a wonderful father. The sudden separation of David from his four young children, age ranging from nine years to 17 months, has caused intense agony, unhappiness, crying and trauma to their young lives. They constantly talk about how 'they miss Daddy', who has always been there for them and is now absent from their lives."

- Sybil Goffe, mother-in-law

Mr Smith and his family are neighbours of my family. He has always been very respectful to my family and me. He is always willing to assist in whatever capacity he could and has always displayed neighbourly love towards us and for this we are very grateful. Even though I was not affected by the financial part of this ordeal, from a family point of view, it is very hard seeing his children trying to cope without their father.

- Arlington Musgrove, friend, neighbour