By Any bets on if the money was spent on juicy girl?:
An Air Force sergeant who pleaded guilty to stealing money from a safe was sentenced Tuesday to 90 days in jail and loss of rank, officials said.
Tech. Sgt. Eva Zimmerman was reduced in rank to airman first class following a court-martial before military judge Col. Mark Allred.
The money was in an envelope and contained between $4,000 and $6,000 that had been donated for a U.S. 7th Air Force (Air Forces Korea) banquet.
Zimmerman spent it for her “personal use,” officials said.
Zimmerman, sergeant-in-charge of executive support services with 7th Air Force’s 607th Support Group, had been charged with larceny that occurred sometime between Sept. 15 and Nov. 20, officials said.
“Officials went to look for the money and to account for it and found out it was missing, and that is when the investigation started” that led to Zimmerman’s court-martial, said 1st Lt. Naomi C. Evangelista, an Osan spokeswoman.
Zimmerman had opted to be tried by judge alone rather than a jury.
She was to be taken Tuesday to the 8th U.S. Army Confinement Facility at Camp Humphreys to begin serving her sentence. [Stars & Stripes]
From my past experience serving in Korea many of the people caught stealing were doing so to fund an out of control juicy girl habit. Nevertheless, there are few things worse for unit morale then having a thief running around, which makes the decision to allow this person to stay in the Air Force surprising.
9:40 am on February 18th, 2009 1
If you did more than a superficial analysis, you would know have summerised that it occured after the AF Banquet that was held in Sep 08. And if she is being sentenced now, it was probably because her motivation was to provide Christmas presents to her family back home or have a nice vacation somewhere…not the juicy girl habit. Anyways, this is why I don't recommend extending more than 12 months in Korea because you lose touch with reality being in the land of not quite right. Same thing happened to Lt Davis.
10:52 am on February 18th, 2009 2
"Out of control juicy girl habit"
Ha! I like that.
11:06 am on February 18th, 2009 3
Barrack's thieves rarely steal for good intentions, I doubt the good airman stole for christmas presents unless they were for the good airman.
****
The unit must have severe problems as well, they aren't sure when the money was stolen, and they don't actually know how much was lifted. In the few duties I had for transporting money I knew exactly how much there was, it was coming out of my pocket if any of it was missing.
12:06 pm on February 18th, 2009 4
do women have juicy girl habits?
12:53 pm on February 18th, 2009 5
They love to buy GI junk here in Korea or buy with credit cards online.
1:02 pm on February 18th, 2009 6
First thought – supporting MWR through slot machines.
2:10 pm on February 18th, 2009 7
I always have a problem with someone who has attained some rank and commits a crime like this. It makes no sense.
10:34 pm on February 18th, 2009 8
My thoughts exactly. I see it every day…but I am only drinking my Miller Lite and observing.
12:30 am on February 19th, 2009 9
Gerry, I have a problem with anyone who steals. I hope it really doesn't matter what rank they are.
1:22 am on February 19th, 2009 10
LOL, you're right and I feel the same. However someone who has worked hard to achieve some level of accomplishment, and then feels the need to steal, still makes no sense to me.
1:40 am on February 19th, 2009 11
I find it appalling yet amazing that they didn't discharge her after her sentence. Are we that strapped for bodies in uniform? WTF?
3:10 am on February 19th, 2009 12
It's typical Air Farce procedure. If the thief was a man, you know he'd be thrown out on a BCD or discharge under other than honorable conditions. But because she's a woman, she'll get a slap on the wrist.
People who steal large amounts of money don't just start doing it. It's like a bad habit. I'm sure she's stolen small amounts before and got away with it. Then the thief will steal moderate amounts and get by… or maybe she got by with a slap on the wrist. Now she's big time.
It infuriates me that to commit larceny like this a man would have been thrown out. We all know that.
I hope if she had a clearance it was removed immediately.
10:24 am on February 19th, 2009 13
Should not be allowed to serve. How can they ever put her in a position of responsibility after this incident? Sure, she can be rehabilitated, but that doesn't mean we should ever again trust her with taxpayer dollars/equipment or to lead young Airmen.
1:15 pm on February 19th, 2009 14
Back in the '80s our unit mail clerk got caught stealing ATM cards from several soldiers.
Her modus operandi: when she knew that an envelope from the bank had a card in it (probably tried bending the envelope to make sure), she'd steal the card and wait a few days for the corresponding letter from the bank that contained the PIN.
After she got the PIN, her and her husband drained the accounts.
One day when the 1SG asked for all the soldiers who'd been scammed to form a line behind the company formation – there must have been at least 30 soldiers lined up.
And guess what? She only got a Field Grade Article 15 – and wasn't discharged. Of course, she was taken out of the mailroom and sent off to work elsewhere.
11:26 pm on February 19th, 2009 15
Not sure if gender had anything to do with this light sentence or not. I recally in 97 a TSgt Female – Korean American – was in charge of keeping about $6,000 for the unit from a charity auction. She lived off post and apparently used the money (probalby slots), then reported that her off post apartment was broken into and the money stolen. I think she got 6 years jail time. I felt a little sorry for her.
This another example of how slot machines have damaged the lives of service members. I would like to see Stars and Stripes do a follow-up on the status of slots in Korea. If history is any guide I would guess the locals are slowly moving back in and profits are probably slowly rising.
11:43 pm on February 19th, 2009 16
The punishments in UCMJ and court martials I have seen greatly varies due to mainly to family factors. I have seen servicemember who I believe should have been punished more heavily or discharged but are allowed to stay because they have a large family to support or a member of their family is dependent on the US military healthcare which they would lose if the servicemember was discharged.
My attitude has always been that the person should of thought about their family before committing a crime because it just seems unfair for a guy who does not have a family to get discharged for the same crime that someone who has a family committed, but is allowed to stay in the military.
2:30 am on February 20th, 2009 17
I do not usually agree with you much GI Korea but you couldnt be more right in that last point. It is absurd that family circumstance would even be brought into consideration when determining punishment, but I see it all the time. "My attitude has always been that the person should of thought about their family before committing a crime"<== Spot on!!!
3:44 am on February 20th, 2009 18
Guitard, same thing happened at my unit during the same time frame (1986).
You wouldn't happened to have been at DLI at the time, would you?
4:26 am on February 20th, 2009 19
What's good for the Goose better be good for the Gander, and vice versa. I'm fed up with women getting a slap on the wrist for wrongdoing while guys get it worse. Women get off easy especially when they're single moms.
This Zimmerman should never see NCO status again if she's allowed to stay in.
4:29 am on February 20th, 2009 20
"HELLO": You mentioned Lt Davis. He got 2 years so he would not go to Leavenworth. I wonder if he was junior enlisted or mid-grade NCO if he would have been nailed so lightly. I know he was in with (Col.) Maria Dowling and that other hoser, BG Forsyth.
10:26 am on February 20th, 2009 21
My father once told me that a thief will always be a thief. This is so true. I guess its only our title of human being that allows us to control our animalistic instincts. Poor Eva couldn't control herself. You're right, she threw that all out the window and traded her title of TSgt for THief.
You reminded of all of the shoplifting from the P/Bx's by the COL's wives and even the COL Moran bribery case. Just couldn't control themselves.
5:33 am on February 21st, 2009 22
No one of the social class I use to belong to would have committed a crime like this. I am ashamed and embarrassed that I am in the same social class as this thief. If you apply military logic and reasoning to this incident, you could easily say:
"It be the Air Force's own fault, they should have locked it up more better."