DETROIT (WXYZ) — New court filings reveal disgraced former Detroit Riverfront Conservancy CFO William Smith plans to appeal his 19-year prison sentence, one of the longest ever handed down in a fraud case in the city.

Smith admitted to stealing more than $40 million from 2012 to 2024 to fund a lavish lifestyle.

Watch our report when William Smith was sentenced below:

William Smith, former Detroit Riverfront Conservancy CFO, sentenced to 19 years in prison

Now, despite waiving his right to appeal in a plea deal, he’s challenging the judgment.

The 52-year-old has also been ordered to repay over $48 million.

It’s still unclear exactly what part of the sentence he’s contesting.

DETROIT (FOX 2) – A large fire at a scrapyard in Southwest Detroit on Wednesday morning prompted crews from the fire department to respond.

The Detroit Fire Department had the blaze under control, however there are concerns of air quality in the surrounding area and it would take several hours to get the fire under wraps.

What we know:

A scrapyard located near Lonyo and Dix caught fire Wednesday morning, sending flames into the sky and smoke billowing over Southwest Detroit.

The pile consists of various appliances like washers, dryers, and bicycles, as well as miscellaneous scrap metal. Batteries are also part of the pile and could be linked to the cause of the blaze. 

The scrapyard is part of the Ferrous Processing & Trading Co., a local scrap processor with locations around the country.

What we don’t know:

The cause of the fire is unknown. 

The Detroit Fire Department also said it could take hours to stamp out the blaze, but that was a rough estimate.

Dig deeper:

An acting chief with DFD told FOX 2 it could take four to five hours to get rid of the fire.

According to Adolf Lane, they had to swap out vehicles and dealt with technical difficulties before making progress on the fire.

“It’s a very tall pile of debris and it’s very much embedded,” he said.

DETROIT (WXYZ) — Redevelopment of the iconic Lee Plaza in Detroit has begun.

On Tuesday, partners and community leaders gathered at the vacant high-rise building to celebrate the groundbreaking of the long-planned project. The building, located on W. Grand Boulevard, will soon become affordable housing for seniors.

The 15-story, Art Deco-style building will include 117 units. Lee Plaza has been vacant for nearly 30 years.

The development team closed on a “complex financing package” last week, which will allow for restoration work to start this week, the city said.

Lee Plaza opened in 1929 as a luxury residential hotel and was developed by Ralph T. Lee.

City of Detroit

The city says the building is being brought back to life for seniors earning at or below 50% of area median income. Residents living there will not pay more than 30% of their income in rent. The city says affordability is guaranteed for at least 45 years.

Developers say a second phase planned includes adding 65 more units on the upper five floors.

“Lee Plaza is one of the most beloved buildings in our city, not only because of its architectural beauty, but because it’s in a neighborhood,” Mayor Mike Duggan said in a statement. “Thanks to Roxbury and their partners, Amy Hovey and MSHDA and Julie Schneider and the Housing & Revitalization team, Lee Plaza is being transformed from blight to its original beauty as 117 units of beautiful affordable housing for our seniors.”

City of Detroit

The project is expected to create over 200 construction and permanent jobs, the city said. It’s set to be complete in late 2026.

To learn more about Lee Plaza, visit historicdetroit.org.