Shellie Zimmerman, the wife of acquitted murder suspect George Zimmerman, pleaded guilty to a minor form of perjury in a plea deal offered to her in order to avoid a felony conviction. Zimmerman will have to serve one year of probation and perform 100 hours of community service, according to the Associated Press.
After George had been arrested and charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin Shellie had lied about the couple's assets during a hearing to determine bail. Shellie was charged with felony perjury, a charge that carries a maximum of five years in prison, but plead guilty to a lower form of perjury in order to help her move on from the incident. Shellie was on the brink of finishing nursing school when she was charged; if she had been convicted of a felony she wouldn't be able to apply for a nursing license for three years, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
In the days following George's arrest but prior to the bond hearing Shellie moved $74,000, in a series of smaller transfers, from George's bank account into her own. In addition, $47,000 was moved from George's account into an account belonging to his sister; all of the transactions stayed under $10,000 in order to avoid having to be reported to the Internal Revenue Service, the Associated Press reports.
In the bail hearing Shellie testified that since she was a student and George had been unable to work since the shooting that they had limited resources, despite depositing $85,500 that had been donated for George's legal defense in George's account a few days after he had been released on bond, according to the Associated Press.
George was released on $150,000 bail after ten percent of it was paid, a typical occurrence. When it was learned that Shellie had lied in court his bail was revoked and set at $1 million, reports the Associated Press.
Wednesday's hearing was held in the Seminole County Courthouse, the same place that George's trial was held, and he did not accompany his wife to the hearing. The Zimmermans have kept a very low profile since the controversial decision acquitting George of murder.
