Chief Master Sergeant Jose Barraza sentenced

| October 15, 2017

Bobo sends us a link to the news that Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Jose Barraza was sentenced last week. We talked about him when he was charged last April, and when the Air Force decided he would face a court martial in July for willfully disobeying an order, seven specifications for dereliction of duty, two specifications for making false official statements, and five specifications for obstruction of justice.

The Air Force Times reports that a judge sentenced him last week.

The court-martial judge sentenced Barraza to 10 months of confinement, a reduction in rank to senior airman, and a reprimand after he pleaded guilty to all charges, according to a statement from Air Combat Command.

Barraza was charged with one specification of willfully disobeying an order, seven specifications of dereliction of duty, two specifications for making false official statements, two specifications of indecent recording, and five specifications of obstruction of justice.

Barraza recorded images and video of two women’s “private area” without their consent, the charge sheet for his case said.

Apparently, Barraza deleted images on his phone to hide evidence, and lied to investigators about his relationship with a female. He disobeyed an order to not pursue another woman – in total, his case involved various relationships with eight women.

Category: Air Force

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Sgt Fon

this is what happens when you think with your little head, not your big one.

What a messed up end to a great career. add another 20 mins of talk time to the weekend safety brief…

Club Manager

Look at the bright side, the Chief, well okay, former Chief, demonstrated thinking with the wrong head is not limited to senior officers.

OldSoldier54

How true. Alas …

O-4E

Glad we finally learned what shitbaggery he was involved in

They were pretty tight lipped about poster boy when this kicked off

A Proud Infidel®™

Just think, if he were a General he would likely have gotten maybe a one rank reduction and full Retirement.

Yef

Exactly what I was thinking.

26Limabeans

Another Wiener aka Carlos Danger?

Jonp

Master Chief Danger haa quite a ring to it

Hayabusa

Maybe he can get a job at the Weinstein Company when he gets out.

Green Thumb

This man violated the collective trust of our nation.

Shitbag.

Ex-PH2

This guy’s a perv. When there is enough of that crap online to eliminate the need for “adult” book shops, what is with this urge these guys have to do things like this?

Green Thumb

Yep.

I am thinking his face should be used a as a gay masturbation photo for young and “challenged” Privates. Or Airmen in this case….

josey wales

Seamen….

MCPO NYC USN Ret.

PIGs.

May he and Swinestien can go into busieness when they reconstitute theirs careers after jail and counseling.

Jeff LPH 3, 63-66

Is he from Florida???????????????

Garbled

No, Los Angelos, CA.

Guard Bum

Isnt this guy the so called epitome of success who rose out of the bario gangs to the highest AF ranks?

Sounds like he never left his gang bang mentality and thought he was untouchable.

Ret_25X

sorry brother, hit report when trying to reply…what I get for typing without my reading glasses…

Anyway…you have made what I think is the fundamental observation on the core of the problem. When we bring narcissists, criminals, and borderline personalities into the military we will get leaders who are such.

Yef

Absolutely. It took us years to get rid of all the waivers issued during the last 2 years of W’s presidency.

Ret_25X

wait a minute…if he received 10 months confinement, then by operation of law, he must receive the BCD, loss of all benefits and immediate separation.

CWORet

Wondering that myself. Read nothing about a discharge. Guess his Ex will get half of his E4 retirement pay. Also, isn’t that considered a felony? Would like to see the courts martial transcripts. He copped a plea to save his ass. How nice. Maybe his old gang will let him Blood (back) In.

The 72th Ronin

A BCD doesn’t constitute a felony or loss of VA benefits. This is whybthat POS Bergdahl is appealing his sentence. He wants it to change from DD to BCD

Sparks

E9 to E4, what a dick stepper.

FuzeVT

Oh, don’t forget the reprimand!

I guess they will give him that once he exits the lock-up. That’s when he’ll REALLY know he screwed up!!

HMCS(FMF) ret

Stupid fuck. Violated the trust of those he was to protect and lead. Lied when he got caught, thought he was above the UCMJ.

10 months isn’t enough time… should have gotten a DD for what he did.

Dapandico

No mention if he has to register as a sex offender.

Eden

Good to see that he got busted down five ranks. Of only they did the same to officers who committed the same offenses.

(Just an FYI: there’s a word missing in the first line: he was a Chief Master Sergeant, not just a Master Sergeant).

OldSoldier54

” … if only they did the same to officers who committed the same offenses.”

Too true.

Jonp

Sometimes psycho pussy is worth it. Who are we to judge?

Hondo

Unfortunately, the UCMJ doesn’t allow officers to be reduced in rank as part of a court-martial sentence. Officers either are dismissed or are retained in rank; a court-martial can’t reduce them.

Why? Dunno. Only theory I’ve ever heard that makes sense is that since officers are commissioned and promoted by the authority of the President, it would be “improper” to allow a court martial to reduce them in grade. Well, it would hardly be “improper” if the UCMJ explicitly allowed for such a reduction.

On the flip side, a commissioned officer, including commissioned warrant officers, can receive a dismissal (or if a warrant, a DD) for even minor offenses if the court martial sentence includes such. For some minor offenses, enlisted personnel cannot – the MCM specifies the maximum allowable punishments, including the type of punitive discharges allowed, for enlisted personnel.

Why is this the case? Dunno. My guess is the real reason for the disparate treatment is a combination of tradition and inertia. I’d be for giving courts-martial the power to reduce officer personnel in grade as well.

FuzeVT

Officers can be reduced at separation or retirement in the case of wrong doing. I can’t quote chapter or verse or anything but I have seen it in my company.

An CWO screwed up while selected for the next grade. As a result of his pleading guilty to a misdemeanor in town, he was sent to a BOI that recommended he be retired at a grade below his current rank. That recommended course of action was approved by the CG and he retired one less than where he was in the first place.

Once again, I don’t know all of the legal ins and outs of it, but I have seen it happen.

Devtun

Every time Jose Barraza presents his retiree card at the front gate of a military base, and some junior enlisted guy sees – Rank/Pay Grade: SRA/E-4 – ouch! Whenever Jose Barraza drops in for an appointment at the local military hospital, the receptionist will call out “Senior Airman Barraza” – double ouch! Still, having benefits & a pension about equivalent to an E-6 is miles better than nothing. No way this AF poster boy was getting a DD or BCD. E-9s & 0-6s have gotten crushed flat for a lot less.

Chief K

I worked side by side with this guy as an Airman working on Jet Engines.
I knew him later when he was a SNCO Academy Instructor.
I knew him as a Command Chief in the Pacific, where I was a Chief at HQ myself.
In all my experiences, Jose was a good guy with a big heart and a great story to tell. But at the end of the day, this proves the old adage: Power Corrupts…and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
I hated to see this.