European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 08, 1995, Darmstadt, Hesse Molesting the girl four Tom s. And his was reduced to the lowest in the Ralit iry Al with a salary of about half of what he was Camm. Still Smith Semmi. Got All h s pay became Mili tary convicts receive full pay until their first appeals Are decided by commanders Smith Esminia s first Appeal was t decided until March 1994, eight months after his conviction and 28 months after authorities began their investigation. Of the 367 inmates arriving at leave North during the past 12 months 270, or 73.6 percent were await ing do Pisons by commanders on their first appeals. Even the military is questioning the practice. A Pentagon spokesman it. Col. Doug Hart confirmed that the military is studying whether to Stop pay at conviction but he offered no details. At this Point we really Don t have anybody who is willing to be interviewed on the subject Hart said. Convicts get paid for years Smith Esminia pay did t Stop after his first a peal. In fact leave North records show he could get paid until dec. 14, 1995, when his enlistment expires. In the military whether people Are paid after first appeals is determined by their sentences. The court can order that some All or none of the prisoners pay be Cut the court Cul Smith est Mcva s rank but it did t take away any of his pay 50 he continues to it a civic More than $800 a month the amount entitled to him under his new lower rank. Inmates can have their paychecks sent to a Bank or address of their Choice. Enlisted can be paid a few Days to several years after conviction either until their enlistment dates expire or their final appeals and Dis charges arc decided whichever occurs first. Officers get paid even longer until the Secretary of their service discharges them after their final appeals. Severity not a Factor the severity of the crime Vith the exception of murder scrap to matter Little in determining who got paid Iff army it. Timothy Jeni ins lost All his pay and was fined $15,000 at a court martial at Leigh Ion h Iracks in our Burg Germany m 1993. His crime writing thousands of dollars Worth of bad checks. Senior airman Samuel Carter sold drugs Ami was picked up for attempted theft. At a court mat tial at ergs from fab Texas he lost All his pay too col. Lee however kept his pay despite a conviction in the fall of 1993 fur 18 counts of indecent acts with teen age boys from Illinois. More Thun i a year after his conviction Lee still receives $6,618. 30_a. Month More than Olvat 98 percent of All Ohio fam i lies earned in 1990. Higgins kept his pay too. He was convicted in 1992 of five counts of Modem ing Young women who came to his air Force recruit ing office in Youngstown Ohio. He asked me if i had Bren checked for scoliosis an 18-year-old Wor ruin told a military court in 1992. ". He told me to drop my pants three to four Inch is below from where they were from my Waist and bin Dover and pull up my shirt. Higgins told another 18 year and to take off her jump suit and then he ran his hand up and Down her Back from her neck to her buttocks the woman told military authorities. He said he had top it a measurement of my body fat the during an interview adding that she decided not to join the military after the incident. We All fell so stupid because we full for this Cox mows service former sgt. Ronald Webster at his Home after la ing prison and collecting "$38,000 to $40,000" in Back pay. Urdas that his boys would t be Able to go to Mcdonald s for this special time with their father " the prosecutor made a different plea. While he s in jail he should t be paid. He s no longer a pro _ ductile member of the air Force. It s not the air Force s responsibility to take care of has family it was sgt. Higgins responsibility. And when he decided to do what he did Over that period of time he reneged on that responsibility the court sided with Higgins. The Dayton daily news examined dozens of court martial files and found that in every Case defendants who received pay had families. Very frequently our court members who function As jurors would say they did t take pay in the Case because they did t want to take it from the family said Kuithe Nelson a former two Star Gen eral and chief military attorney for the air Force. Although jurors award pay based on family Nous they re not supposed to. There s nothing in the code of military Justice that allows that said Nelson who is now admin is Trator Jurf North Dakota s court systems. Paying any convicted criminal regardless of the Why should he Pel Paitl that s ridiculous. I _. Can t believe it. Since he was sentenced to four years in prison 1 Lions lir earned 5i25,w pay from he air Force. Family matters in his Appeal for Payind a Litcht sentence Hig cams s attorney asked the court to consider his Lami in his wife his three Youri chill in. A the sat co mows service Kuithe Nelson retired major general and former air Force attorney questions paying convicts. Reason is a questionable practice said Nelson a Mil itary attorney for 33 years. In crime one is account Able for their own civilian families often get nothing when their loved ones go to prison. Mark Putnam went to prison in 1990 for strangling an informant in Kentucky while working for the Fri. His family was forced to ask Lor welfare. _ you can t expect the Fri to pay benefits to me and my children because my husband committed a comr so / a ".". The military decided to keep paying Cox after he asked the court pleas help me put a Stop to my family s suffering and mine,"."" three months after his March 1993 conviction Cox still had not Given his wife written permission to pick up his Check. Although eligible to receive More than $1,700 a month he did t Send regular support payments to her the military also often does t ensue a family needs the Noncy. _ v _ " unlike in civilian courts sentencing a quins Immy Diatel after conviction in courts martial leaving Little time for the prosecutors to verify a defendant s. Claim of needing Money to support his family. The government virtually never goes Back an tries to rebut that said col Trant who spent 6 a years Asah army judge be fore becoming _ ice s chief criminal attorney. Even though his wife earned 517,000 a year and though his family had Lour cars two boats a motorcycle and lived in a $110.0 1 1 Home the Mili tary paid Cpl. Templeton. Templeton we e-hi4pcd oversee a $2- Bil Ion weapons program at Wal it i a Turson pleaded guilty in March 1992 to 10 acts of child no lest i solving girls. In his plea for clemency Templ Elun asked to .e1 court to consider his family s financial needs since he confessed three years a Timpl ctn has corned. Coria jul a on l ii a 6 january 8. 1935 Suda Page 5
