nhboy
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"WASHINGTON — Servicemembers and legal experts around the world reacted with outrage and scorn Friday to what many regarded as an exceptionally light sentence for an Army colonel convicted of fraud, adultery, bigamy and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.
Col. James H. Johnson III, the former commander of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, was sentenced to a reprimand and a $300,000 fine by a jury of fellow colonels in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on Thursday. He pleaded guilty to 13 charges and was convicted of two others, all relating to an illicit affair he had with an Iraqi woman and his efforts to steer government funds to the woman’s father during a 2005 deployment.
Johnson gave the family a government cellphone that racked up $80,000 in charges, filed false travel vouchers and improperly used government vehicles, hired the father as a “cultural advisor” for Afghanistan even though he was unqualified, and committed other crimes because he was in love with the man’s daughter, Haveen Al-Atar. He later married Haveen Al-Atar, though he was still married to his first wife, Kris Johnson.
Greg Rinckey, a former Army judge advocate general attorney who specializes in military law, called the verdict stunning.
“It’s a great job by the defense attorneys,” he said. “I was expecting his dismissal. That sounds like a very light sentence to me.
“It’s a great job by the defense attorneys,” he said. “I was expecting his dismissal. That sounds like a very light sentence to me.
“This guy’s military career is already over [because of the scandal], so the reprimand is meaningless. And he still gets his retirement? I’m shocked.”
Rinckey said jurors may have been swayed by stories about Johnson’s wife and the retirement payouts she stood to lose if her cheating husband went to jail. But regardless the reason, the verdict is likely to infuriate many lower-ranking soldiers.
“Once again, it appears there are two different standards for officers and enlisted in the Army,” he said. “If this had been an enlisted soldier, you have to believe there would have been a reduction in rank and jail time. And that perception of different rules does become a problem.” "
"It's good to be King!" lol!
"WASHINGTON — Servicemembers and legal experts around the world reacted with outrage and scorn Friday to what many regarded as an exceptionally light sentence for an Army colonel convicted of fraud, adultery, bigamy and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.
Col. James H. Johnson III, the former commander of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, was sentenced to a reprimand and a $300,000 fine by a jury of fellow colonels in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on Thursday. He pleaded guilty to 13 charges and was convicted of two others, all relating to an illicit affair he had with an Iraqi woman and his efforts to steer government funds to the woman’s father during a 2005 deployment.
Johnson gave the family a government cellphone that racked up $80,000 in charges, filed false travel vouchers and improperly used government vehicles, hired the father as a “cultural advisor” for Afghanistan even though he was unqualified, and committed other crimes because he was in love with the man’s daughter, Haveen Al-Atar. He later married Haveen Al-Atar, though he was still married to his first wife, Kris Johnson.
Greg Rinckey, a former Army judge advocate general attorney who specializes in military law, called the verdict stunning.
“It’s a great job by the defense attorneys,” he said. “I was expecting his dismissal. That sounds like a very light sentence to me.
“It’s a great job by the defense attorneys,” he said. “I was expecting his dismissal. That sounds like a very light sentence to me.
“This guy’s military career is already over [because of the scandal], so the reprimand is meaningless. And he still gets his retirement? I’m shocked.”
Rinckey said jurors may have been swayed by stories about Johnson’s wife and the retirement payouts she stood to lose if her cheating husband went to jail. But regardless the reason, the verdict is likely to infuriate many lower-ranking soldiers.
“Once again, it appears there are two different standards for officers and enlisted in the Army,” he said. “If this had been an enlisted soldier, you have to believe there would have been a reduction in rank and jail time. And that perception of different rules does become a problem.” "
"It's good to be King!" lol!