To: lorrie coey who wrote (26847 ) 1/9/1999 2:19:00 PM From: Zoltan! Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 67261
Bill Clinton's Air Force wants to put an officer in prison for possibly 20 years. Seems he had consensual sex! No perjury, no obstruction of justice. Let's see, a measured response for Clinton's crimes should be several life terms. Put him in a cell with Hillary - but that would be cruel and unusual. Air Force Pilot Charged in Sex Case By DAVID KLIGMAN Associated Press Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Air Force Capt. Joseph A. Belli's life has been ruined simply because he fell in love, his attorney says. Belli, a 12-year veteran who flew Defense Secretary William Cohen's entourage to the Mideast last spring, faces 20 years in prison if convicted of fraternization and other charges. ''Everything he holds dear is essentially gone,'' said lawyer John Hodson. ''I don't know that you have a lot of control over who you fall in love with in life. But it's a hell of a price to pay, isn't it?'' Formal charges were filed last week against the Travis Air Force Base captain and father of five. An Article 32 hearing, the military version of a grand jury proceeding, is expected to begin within the next two weeks. Belli was charged with fraternization and conspiracy, and he is also accused of disobeying a direct order to end the relationship with Airman Susan Redo. Belli, a member of the 6th Air Refueling Squadron, allegedly began the affair when he was stationed at Diego Garcia Air Base in the Indian Ocean in November 1997, several months after his wife requested a divorce. Belli, 35, told his estranged wife about the affair when he returned to Travis last year, military officials said. She became angry and notified his commanding officer. ''I doubt very much if that lady had any inkling of the ton of bricks she was about to bring down on her children's father,'' Hodson said. Air Force officials have accused Belli of asking his wife and Ms. Redo, who is in her early 20s, to lie about the affair. Ms. Redo will not be prosecuted because the military assumes an officer is in control in such a relationship. Fraternization between officers and enlisted personnel became a national issue in 1997 when Lt. Kelly Flinn, the first female B-52 bomber pilot, was charged with adultery for having an affair with the husband of a female airman in North Dakota. She eventually was allowed to resign and was not prosecuted.newsday.com