Former military recruiter sentenced to two-years probation

Font Size:

By Ann McGlynn | Sunday, January 20, 2008 |

A former military recruiter who served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan will spend two years on probation for accepting pay while he was on unauthorized leave.

Eric Goodell, 30, said he will never attempt to enlist in the military again as part of his plea agreement with federal prosecutors. He was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge John Jarvey.

Also as part of the agreement, prosecutors dropped a charge of lying to a Department of Defense agent. Specifically, Goodell was accused of saying that a fellow member of the military diverted and stole his military pay without his knowledge. Goodell also said he had not been in trouble while working as a recruiter with the Illinois National Guard. He had, in fact, officials said, been investigated for having sexual contact with a recruit at Rock Island High School.

Goodell was not charged with sexual misconduct.

“It was one of the most challenging times of his life,” defense attorney Diane Zitzner told the judge, saying that Goodell had shown good discipline in his life, as evidenced by his military service. Goodell had just returned from Iraq and was having marital problems, she said.

According to court documents, Goodell worked for the Illinois National Guard in 2005 and 2006. In November 2005, he and another recruiter, Sgt. Nathan DeClerk, agreed to route Goodell’s paychecks to DeClerk’s bank account by changing the routing number in an automated system.

DeClerk agreed to withdraw the money from his account and give it to Goodell. The agreement was reached, officials said, because of Goodell’s marital problems. The spending of money was one of the points of contention between him and his wife.

From December 2005 through March 2006, Goodell was absent without authorization and was not entitled to pay. He was in California, visiting his dying grandfather, who served as a father figure to him, Zitzner said.

Goodell received notice in September 2006, after he had left the Illinois National Guard and gone to work for the Iowa National Guard, that he was required to pay back the money. It was then that he lied to an investigator, saying he had no knowledge that his pay had been directed into DeClerk’s account and that Master Sgt. Brian Habel had requested Goodell’s user name and password for the automated system. The lies, officials said, were made in an effort to avoid paying back the money.

Ann McGlynn can be contacted at (563) 383-2336 or amcglynn@qctimes.com.