COLONEL'S CAREER CRASHES IN RUINS - LOFTON
GETS SLAMMED WITH NINE YEARS IN PRISON AND
$14,000 IN FINES - KICKED OUT OF AIR FORCE
PART OF DEAL IS FORMER COMMANDER OF 82ND
TRAINING GROUP AT SHEPPARD AFB TEXAS MUST
REMAIN IN MILITARY UNTIL RELEASE, FORFEITING
SOME $9,000 A MONTH IN PAY AND ALLOWANCES
OFFICER ACQUITTED ON MORE SERIOUS "RAPE"
CHARGE WHICH WOULD HAVE GOT HIM LIFE IN DB

It was an ignominious end to what had been a charmed career. For 27 years, Col. Samuel Lofton III moved from one promotion and good assignment to the next. Now that Air Force career lies in ruins and the colonel is on his way to prison for at least nine years.

However, the 49 year-old full bird colonel at least avoided conviction on a specious "rape" charge, which would have placed a target square on his back and made his future at Leavenworth DB a constant struggle for survival, looking over his shoulder every moment to see where the "shank" would come from.

Now, he's just a former Air Force officer in good standing who's been convicted of a myriad of larceny and financial crimes that will cost him his pension, his position and pay ($9,000 a month), and $14,000 in fines.

The final tab at Lofton's sentencing Thursday at Sheppard AFB in Texas added up to convictions on assaulting a woman (indecent language), misusing his government travel card, submitting fraudulent travel documents to obtain "reimbursement," conduct unbecoming an officer, and being AWOL from duty on at least six occasions.

If the former commander of the 82nd Training Group had received the maximum punishment, he could have gone away for 140 years. That total is not based on the false "rape" rap, of which Lofton was acquitted, but for the 34 counts of other crimes the officer either pled guilty to or was found to have committed.

There was no immediate comment from either Lofton's attorneys or the prosecution team.

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OF RAPE, LARCENY AND CONDUCT UNBECOMING
AN OFFICER - COL SAMUEL LOFTON III GOOD BET
TO BE COURT-MARTIALED - COULD FACE LONG
PRISON TERM AT THE LEAVENWORTH D.B.
ALLEGED RAPE VICTIM TESTIFIES SHE THREW
PANTY-HOSE IN COLONEL'S FACE AFTER ATTACK
FEMALE WORKER AT SHEPPARD AFB ONE OF
THREE WOMEN TO MAKE SEX CHARGES AGAINST
COL SAMUEL LOFTON III - FORMER COMMANDER
OF 82ND TRAINING GROUP ALSO FACES AWOL
RAP PLUS 20 LARCENY COUNTS AND CONDUCT
UNBECOMING AN OFFICER - COULD GET LIFE
IN PRISON AT DB - TESTIMONY IN FIRST DAY OF
SENSATIONAL ARTICLE 32 HEARING PUTS
"CREDIBILITY" OF ONE ACCUSER IN DOUBT
SO-CALLED "VICTIMS" GOT ALL "GOOGLY-EYED"
AROUND AIR FORCE COLONEL ACCUSED OF RAPE
AND OTHER CHARGES - "THEY'D OPENLY FLIRT
WITH HIM," ACCUSED OFFICER'S SECRETARY
TESTIFIES - MARTHA CANNON REVEALS WOMEN
WOULD TRY AND ENTER COMMANDER'S OFFICE
UNANNOUNCED - BEHAVED SAME WAY AFTER
DATE OF ALLEGED SEXUAL ASSAULTS - ARTICLE
32 HEARING ENDS AFTER TWO DAYS - "DON'T
RUSH TO JUDGMENT," DEFENSE ATTORNEY
WARNS IN COL SAMUEL LOFTON III CASE - WHAT
DID OSI PROMISE FEMALE ACCUSERS FOR THEIR
"LURID AND PERHAPS LYING TESTIMONY?"

COLONEL FACES LIFE IN PRISON - AIR FORCE TO
COURT-MARTIAL OFFICER FOR "RAPE" AND OTHER
CHARGES - SAMUEL LOFTON FIRST FULL BIRD
PUT ON TRIAL ON SUCH AN OFFENSE IN 20
YEARS - CREDIBILITY OF "VICTIMS" TO BE PROBED
AFRICAN-AMERICAN BRASS HAT MAY CLAIM
"RACIAL BIAS" AT TENSE TEXAS AIR BASE
CON-MAN "REV" AL SHARPTON - KEEP OUT!
TOP COLONEL PLEADS GUILTY TO LARCENY
AND AWOL BUT WILL FIGHT "RAPE" CHARGES
COL SAMUEL LOFTON - FORMER 82ND TRAINING
GROUP COMMANDER AT SHEPPARD AFB TEXAS
ADMITS MIS-USE OF CREDIT CARDS AND BEING
ABSENT WITHOUT LEAVE ON SIX OCCASIONS
DID OSI PRESSURE FEMALE ACCUSER TO YELL
"RAPE?" - LOFTON FACES LIFE IN PRISON IF
CONVICTED ON SEX CHARGE AT COURT-MARTIAL
IT'S UP TO THE JURY NOW - COL LOFTON COULD
GET LIFE IN PRISON IF CONVICTED ON "RAPE"
CHARGE - DEFENSE TEAM POKES HOLES IN
"VICTIM'S" CHARGES - TRAVEL DOCUMENTS PROVE
LOFTON NOT IN TEXAS AT LEAST TWO TIMES
ACCUSERS CLAIM TO HAVE BEEN ASSAULTED
"DEEPEST RESPECT" NOTE AND FRIENDLY E-MAILS
AFTER ALLEGED ATTACKS EXPLAINED AWAY BY
FEMALE AS HER FORM OF "SARCASM" - TIME OF
SO-CALLED "RAPES" IN DOUBT DUE TO CAPTAIN'S
TESTIMONY ABOUT NIGHTLY CONFERENCE CALLS
HIGH DRAMA IN TEXAS COURTROOM - COLONEL
ACQUITTED ON RAPE CHARGE - FOUND GUILTY OF
"ASSAULT" AND MAKING "SEXUALLY-SUGGESTIVE"
REMARKS TO FEMALE NCO - WILL BE SENTENCED
THURSDAY AT SHEPPARD AFB - COL SAM LOFTON
FACES CERTAIN DISMISSAL FROM AIR FORCE
STILL COULD GET JAIL TIME - FORMER HEAD OF
82ND TRAINING GROUP HAD PLED GUILTY TO
LARCENY AND AWOL - FEMALE "RAPE VICTIM"
RUNS OUT OF BUILDING AFTER VERDICT READ