Richard Joseph Smith

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Richard Joseph Smith (born January 5, 1960 in Huntsville, Madison County; died October 7, 2016 in Miramar Beach, Florida) was a hair stylist and founder of Richard Joseph SalonSpa.

Richard, the son of Bill and Maneline Roberts Smith, opened his first salon while he was still in high school in Fayetteville, Tennessee. He went on to attend Samford University before opening his "SalonSpa" in English Village with long-time partner Tim Brown in 1991. As the business grew, Smith joined the advisory board for Aveda cosmetics and he counted vice president Al Gore among his clients.

In 2014 Smith and Brown pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and agreed to repay $1.4 million in taxes withheld from employees but never paid to the IRS. They were each sentenced to serve three years in federal prison.

A few months after his release, Smith succumbed to cancer. He died at Sacred Heart Hospital in Miramar Beach, Florida in October 2016 and was buried at the Rose Hill Cemetery in Fayetteville, Tennessee.

References

  • Faulk, Kent (October 11, 2016) "Well known Birmingham salon owner, convicted in $1.4 million tax fraud, dies." The Birmingham News
  • "Richard Joseph Smith" obituary (October 12, 2016) The Birmingham News