Monrovia — In the wake of recent happenings surrounding an online platform called Smart AI that said it is an Artificial Intelligence e-commerce company providing access to jobs and financing opportunities for businesses and individuals in Liberia, claims that the agency is linked to the owner of Spoon Network is misleading.
Fact Check By: Varney Kelvin Sirleaf | LVL Fact Checker
Smart AI is an online platform developed into a mobile app with many subscribers who deposited money via mobile money (Orange Money and Lonestar/MTN mobile money) with expectation of making profits on their investments. However, with the abrupt short down of the website without any notice to its subscribers, many Liberians have expressed concerns of losing their investments into the platform.
Amid the public concern, a Facebook user identified as Estrada Duke Jayjay claimed that documents linked to the company were found at the home of the owner of Spoon Network, Stanton Witherspoon.
What Did We Find?
To verify this claim we first messaged the poster inquiring about the sources of his information, the time of the alleged discovery, and the exact location of the home where the discovery was made.
The poster did not reply up to the time of publication of this fact check report. So, we sought to verify the claim.
A Goggle search of the claim did not show any independent news report or information relating to the claim. There is no other information relating to this claim other than the post.
Also, we conducted a Reverse Image Search of the two photos used in the Facebook post. Results from the first photo showed that the logo of the online site Smart AI was photoshopped to have the logo of Unity Party inserted. Meanwhile the second photo, which is an image of Mr. Witherspoon and Unity Party Presidential Candidate Joseph Boakai, is a photo that was published on February 20, 222 by Spoon TV.
The Facebook post also claimed that Mr. Witherspoon recently entered a request to plea guilty in the ongoing trail against him in the United States.
We did not find any information to prove that Mr. Witherspoon’s legal team has filed a request for a guilty plea at the Southern District Court of Florida although a press release published on May 15, 2023 on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Florida shows that five persons plead guilty to the crime of wire fraud conspiracy involving fraudulent nursing diploma scheme. Mr. Witherspoon is not one of the five defendants that have pleaded guilty.
Conclusion
Based on the evidence we gathered, the claim that documents linked to Smart AI were found at the home of Stanton Witherspoon is false. Given how widely Smart AI has been discussed in Liberia, it is concerning for an information of such nature to not be a topic for discussion.
We also conclude that the claim that Mr. Witherspoon has filed a request for a guilty plea in the ongoing his ongoing trial in the United States is misleading.
This report was developed with the support of Internews through the USAID Media Activity project. The funder has no say in the editorial decision leading to the production of this content.