George Zimmerman’s wife pleaded guilty to perjury Wednesday after lying about her family’s finances during bail proceedings for husband as he stood trial in the murder of Trayvon Martin, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Shellie Zimmerman told a judge last year that she and her husband were broke, but they had recently received over $130,000 in Internet donations from supporters of George Zimmerman, who was found not guilty on all charges last month in the high-profile murder trial.
She and her husband discussed the donations in recorded phone conversations while he was in Seminole County Jail, and he instructed her to move the money between different bank accounts and credit unions. Shellie Zimmerman took a plea deal, admitting to a less-serious perjury charge to avoid a felony conviction. She could have faced up to a year in prison, but will instead be on probation for a year and will have to perform 100 hours of community service.
George Zimmerman, meanwhile, is petitioning Florida to foot the bill for his legal defense.