From Vivian Kuo, CNN
June 12, 2012 -- Updated 2238 GMT (0638 HKT)
Shellie Zimmerman, George Zimmerman's wife, was arrested on a charge of Perjury.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Shellie N. Zimmerman makes bond
- She is accused of perjury regarding testimony about family finances
- Her husband is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Trayvon Martin
(CNN) -- George Zimmerman's wife was arrested Tuesday afternoon for allegedly lying at his bond hearing about the couple's finances.
Shellie N. Zimmerman,
25, faces a perjury charge, according to Jackie Barnard, spokeswoman
for the State Attorney's office for the Fourth Judicial District of
Florida. She met conditions for a $1,000 bond and was released Tuesday
afternoon, according to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.
At her husband's April 20
bond hearing, Shellie Zimmerman was asked whether the couple had
financial means to assist in the defense.
"Uhm, not -- not that I'm aware of," she replied, according to a probable cause affidavit filed Monday.
Did Zimmerman and his wife talk in code?
She also testified under
oath she was not aware of how much had been raised from a website
soliciting cash for George Zimmerman's defense in the February shooting
death of Trayvon Martin, 17, in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman said he
acted in self-defense.
In April, Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder after the case was referred to a state attorney for a review. He was released from custody later that month after posting bail.
On June 1, Seminole County Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. ordered Zimmerman back to jail, accusing the suspect of not being truthful about how much money he had access to when his bond was set.
Prosecutors alleged that George Zimmerman, 28, actually had about $135,000.
According to the
affidavit, prepared by an investigator with the State Attorney's office,
the Zimmermans discussed finances via phone before the April 20 bond
hearing.
Those talks included the
transfer of money from George Zimmerman's account to accounts of his
sister and wife, according to the affidavit.
Records show $47,000 was
transferred from George Zimmerman's account to his sister's account
from April 16 and 17, authorities allege. Shellie Zimmerman transferred
more than $74,000 from her husband's account to her account from April
16 to April 19, the affidavit states.
George Zimmerman asked
his wife in jail calls to "pay off all the bills," including an American
Express bill and a Sam's Club card, prosecutors allege.
On April 24, after his
release on bond, Shellie Zimmerman transferred more than $85,500 from
her account back to George Zimmerman's account, according to the
affidavit.
Shellie Zimmerman will be arraigned July 31.
Prosecutors have alleged
the Zimmermans spoke in code when discussing the money in a credit
union account, according to court documents filed by State Attorney
Angela B. Corey.
Zimmerman "fully
controlled and participated in the transfer of money from the PayPal
account to defendant and his wife's credit union accounts," Corey said
in court records. "This occurred prior to the time defendant was arguing
to the court that he was indigent and his wife had no money."
The judge "relied on
false representations and statements" by Zimmerman and his wife when the
court set his bond at $150,000, Corey said. Zimmerman was required to
post only 10% of that.
Defense lawyers have
argued that "the vast majority of the funds in question are in an
independently managed trust" that Zimmerman and his attorneys cannot
access directly.
"The audio recordings of Mr. Zimmerman's phone conversation while in jail make it clear that Mr. Zimmerman knew a significant sum had been raised by his original fundraising website,"
attorneys said last week. "We feel the failure to disclose these funds
was caused by fear, mistrust and confusion. The gravity of this mistake
has been distinctly illustrated, and Mr. Zimmerman understands that this
mistake has undermined his credibility, which he will have to work to
repair."
The attorneys said
Zimmerman did disclose the existence of the funds five days after the
bond hearing, during his first conversation with the defense about the
fund. "When the defense team learned of the funds, we disclosed this to
the court and to the State Attorney's Office, and the money was
transferred to the Legal Defense Fund, which is now independently
managed," the defense said.
Of the $204,000 raised
by the website, about $150,000 is now in the defense fund and $30,000
was used "to make the complicated transition from private life in
Sanford, Florida, to a life in hiding as a defendant in a high-profile
court case."
The remainder, about
$20,000, "was kept liquid to provide living expenses for the first
several months as the legal process unfolds," attorneys said.
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