THE MASSIVE CORRUPTION OF INYO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA HAS DETRIMENTALLY AFFECTED 5000+ MILITARY VETERANS. SHERIFF JEFFERY HOLLOWELL EMBEZZLES MONEY FROM THE VSO PROGRAM FOR FIFTEEN YEARS – ABSCONDED MONEY COULD AMOUNT TO WELL OVER $100,000

When Sheriff Jeffery R. Hollowell fired Jessica Allmon, the sheriff's office became the new VSO office. Because Hollowell didn't know the first damn thing about helping a Veteran, the Inyo County VSO office may be considered as "CLOSED" until further notice.

Are you a senior citizen who also happens to be a veteran? Are you thinking about moving to a less expensive area to make your social security check, and perhaps a VA disability check go further than it does now? The last place you want to move to is Inyo County, California.

The Sheriff of Inyo County, California, Jeffery R. Hollowell runs an out-of-control sheriff’s department. Our sources say that Sheriff Hollowell is nothing more than a bully with a badge who has been embezzling money from the county Veteran Services Office (VSO) for fifteen (15) years.

Hollowell has all the integrity of a Philadelphia vote counter, and the leadership abilities of a damp rag.

The corruption occurring in INYO County, California is beyond description, but when we discovered how the INYO County corruption is adversely affecting Veterans, we were forced to spring into action.

The movie “An American Story” is based on the Battle of Athens, Tennessee. The movie shows how corruption can literally consume a town. For that matter it can consume a county, a state and a nation.

All Veterans (and interested citizens) living in Inyo and Mono Counties should consider watching the movie AN AMERICAN STORY (1 hr. 40 min) about the Battle of Athens, Tennessee.

There are some interesting parallels that can be drawn, between the movie and the chronic corruption of Inyo County, California.

As we all know, there are good cops and bad cops.

But, it seems the Inyo County Sheriff’s Department has an extraordinarily high number of command staff who are ethically and morally challenged, not to mention the sheriff himself, and previous sheriffs before him.

AND HOW ABOUT SHERIFF HOLLOWELL

Jeff Hollowell joined the United States Army in October 1981 and was ordered to active duty in January 1982.

According to his DD-214, Hollowell completed basic training and advanced individual training (AIT), then enrolled in a 16-week military law enforcement course.

As the world neared the end of the Cold War (1979-1985), the years were marked by a sharp increase in hostility between the Soviet Union and the West.

The hostility arose from a strong denunciation of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979.

With the election of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President Ronald Reagan, a corresponding change in Western foreign policy approach toward the Soviet Union was marked by the rejection of détente in favor of the Reagan Doctrine policy of rollback.

During this time, the threat of nuclear war had reached new heights not seen since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. And, because of the heightened tensions, U.S. Army forces in Europe were in dire need of military police personnel to help guard installations all over Europe.

Immediately after finishing his basic training and advanced individual training (AIT), Hollowell was dispatched to the 556 Military Police Company headquartered in Siegelsbach, Germany.

But as badly as the Army needed military policemen, after a few short months, the Army didn’t want anything more to do with Jeffery Hollowell, purportedly for his drug use, and kicked his ass out of the military for “UNSATISFACTORY PERFORMANCE.”

HOLLOWELL ENTERS ARMY
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE
MILITARY’S WAR ON DRUG USE

On May 26, 1981, five months before Jeff Hollowell joined the Army, a Navy EA-6 aircraft was attempting to make a night landing on the USS Nimitz. The aircraft landed just the right of centerline which cause its wingtip to slice through the nose of several parked aircraft and caused a massive fire.

Thirteen of the fourteen people killed on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz had traces of THC (Marijuana) in their bloodstream. Some of the flight crew also tested positive for THC as well. The military had a major problem combating drug use. The crash on the Nimitz was proof of the pervasiveness of drug use in the military.

Admirals and generals marched to Capitol Hill to beg Congress for help. Soon thereafter, the military instituted their random uranalysis program to find and remove people who were using illicit drugs. Before Hollowell could be promoted to the rank of Private First Class (PFC), he had to submit to a uranalysis test.

When his test came back positive, the Army decided to kick him out of the military for unsatisfactory performance. Because the testing and chain-of-custody methods were not fully accepted yet by the JAG Corps, the Army decided early in the game to avoid the paperwork of a court martial or administrative board, buy just getting rid of the drug users as quickly as possible with an Honorable Discharge.

Hollowell was very fortunate indeed to receive an Honorable Discharge, because many service members were court martialed and sent to prison for their drug use. And, the certainly did not receive an Honorable Discharge.

HOLLOWELL’S DD-214

We have two variations of Hollowell’s DD-214…

The Inyo County version omits the bottom portion showing the Army’s reason for Hollowell’s separation.

The DOD version that includes the bottom portion that discloses the Army’s reason for separation; UNSATISFACTORY PERFORMANCE.

Aside from what appears to be terms in conflict, Honorable characterization of service vs. “reason for separation being Unsatisfactory Performance, is the actual time Hollowell was on active duty. His DD-214 and Enlistment Contract tell the story.

DD-214, Block 12 a. shows the date Hollowell entered active duty service in the Army.
DD-214, Block 12 b. reveals separation date from active duty.
DD-214, Block 12 c. provides Hollowell’s total military service of 1 year and 23 days.
DD-214, Block 12 e. indicates Hollowell had “prior inactive service” of 3 mos. 21 days” because of the DEP (Delayed Entry Program)

Inyo County Sheriff, Jeffery R. Hollowell

For some reason, Hollowell falsely stated on multiple employment applications with Inyo County that he was in the military for six years, 1982 to 1988. That’s not a mere oversight, it’s a deliberate attempt to deceive people.

These days, lying on an employment application is considered no big deal. But to people who may have been cheated out of getting a job or promotion by someone who is lying up a blue streak on employment applications; it is a big deal.

It’s even a bigger deal if the person lying on official documents is now the sheriff of one of the largest counties in America. Do the words honor and ethics come to mind?

On his first job application with Inyo County to be a “Reserve Deputy,” on May 11, 1987, Hollowell actually told the truth about how long he was in the Army.

But, he was lying his pants off on subsequent employment applications, through the years as Hollowell clawed his way up the law-enforcement ladder. He repeatedly lied that he was on active duty for six years, when in fact, he only served 1 year and 23 days on active duty.

The employment application askes if the applicant was “IN” the armed forces? This implies the dates the applicant was on full-time active duty “IN” an Army uniform.

Hollowell’s ENLISTMENT CONTRACT with the United States shows why he has been using the six-year figure which pertains to IRR (inactive ready reserve) and NOT the time he served on active duty.

When people enlist in the military, they sign a contract with the government to serve a certain amount of time on active duty. In Hollowell’s case it was 2 years. And, as part of the contract, the enlistee agrees to be placed in Inactive Ready Reserve (IRR), and return to active duty in the case of a national emergency.

Being placed in IRR status is why military personnel keep their uniforms when they are released from the military. There is always that chance you could be called back on active duty, but it wasn’t likely to happen in Hollowell’s case because of how and why he was separated.

FORMER ARMY RECRUITER
EXPLAINS WHAT LIKELY HAPPENED 

Hollowell was separated as a Private E-2. Promotion to PFC is automatic at 12 months during that time frame. My GUESS is that he failed a urinalysis before making PFC and his unit gave him the boot.

I was active from 1980 to 2001. I saw this exact scenario many times, when urinalysis was first started. Getting kicked out of the military with an HONORABLE discharge took the least amount of paperwork, and was therefore preferred over a full-blown court martial.

His DD-214 (long form) shows separation under AR 635-200 Chap 13, which means SEPARATION FOR MISCONDUCT. Hollowell was guilty of one of these actions below…

  • Minor Disciplinary Infractions
  • Pattern of Misconduct
  • Commission of a Serious Offense
  • Abuse of Illegal Drugs
  • Civil Conviction

So, in my opinion Hollowell was kicked out of the Army for drug use identified through a urinalysis. I was a recruiter and later a First Sergeant. These things are easy to deduce if someone was in the trenches dealing with these issues every day (like I was), and knows what to look for.

DECEIVING INYO COUNTY

On his ENLISTMENT CONTRACT, Hollowell agreed that his combined period of “active duty” and subsequent “reserve component service” would equal six years. Does that mean that Hollowell served in the Army for six years? Answer is NO. He was supposed to serve 2 years, then be transferred to Inactive Ready Reserve status.

Hollowell signed his enlistment contract on 28OCT1981, under the terms and conditions of the DEP (Delayed Entry Program). Hollowell waited 2 months and 21 days until he was ordered to active duty in the Army 19JAN1982 for a period of 2 years.

Hollowell completed boot camp, then was sent to Military Police School which, according to his DD-214, he completed in May 1982. The Army then sent Hollowell to the 556 Military Police Unit in Germany.

Hollowell was summarily kicked out of the United States Army on 11FEB1983. His drug use had finally had caught up with him.

From that point forward, Hollowell was a civilian. He “transferred” into the “Inactive Ready Reserve (IRR).” While on IRR status, there are no drills, he does not wear his Army uniform and he doesn’t get paid.

For all intents and purposes, Hollowell became a civilian after 11FEB1983. According to his enlistment contract, Hollowell agreed to be placed in IRR status until six years after the date he reported for active duty, which in his case was, 18JAN1988.

TOLD THE TRUTH ON HIS FIRST APPLICATION

On his first application with Inyo County, Hollowell truthfully stated he was in the Army from 1/82-2/83. Was it former Sheriff Don Dorsey who was mentoring young deputy Jeffery Hollowell to put on all subsequent job applications that he had served in the Army for 6 years so he could become the Inyo County VSO officer? Who knows?

But, somewhere along the line, Hollowell discovered he could get a 7.5% pay raise by getting designated as Inyo County’s VSO officer, on his next employment application and several thereafter, Hollowell added 6 years to January 1982, not when he signed up, but when he was kicked out.

We believe Hollowell knowingly and intentionally attempted to deceive Inyo County into believing he had served 6 years of active duty, when it really was only 1 year and 23 days.

Once he had passed the initial background investigation, he was home free, and began to begin lie about his active duty time on subsequent employment applications submitted to Inyo County.

This semantical hair-splitting fit right into his little scheme of deception. The applications do not ask how long the applicant served on active duty. The form basically wants to know how long the applicant was in the military. Active duty is implied.

The County doesn’t care how long you were at home watching TV awaiting your activation orders. Nor, are they interested in the time you spent in Inactive Ready Reserve status wearing a Hawaiian shirt and barbequing in the backyard.

Most every job application wants to know the time the applicant was in uniform and working full time. It begs the question, why did Hollowell say he was in the Army for a year on his first job application, then suddenly added 6 years to the time he was discharged?

He knew what he was doing. It was a crafty scheme to deceive Inyo County, and it worked!

  1. Employment Application for RESERVE DEPUTY, dated; 5-11-1987 (only application where Hollowell was truthful about his length of service in the Army)
  2. Employment Application for DEPUTY SHERIFF, dated; 5-12-1988 (lied about time in service)
  3. Employment Application for SHERIFF’S INVESTIGATOR, dated; 1-17-2003 (lied about time in service)
  4. Employment Application for SHERIFF’S SERGEANT, dated; 2-21-2007 (lied about time in service)
  5. Employment Application for SHERIFF’S LIEUTENANT dated; 10-19-2010 (lied about time in service)

DO FALSE ENTRIES
ON EMPLOYMENT APPLICATIONS
MAKE SHERIFF HOLLOWELL A “BRADY COP”

In Brady v. Maryland, a decision was handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1963. The decision held that, under the Fifth and Fourteenth amendments, a prosecutor has a duty to disclose favorable evidence to defendants upon request, if the evidence is “material” to either guilt or punishment. Failure to comply with this duty has become commonly known as a “Brady violation.”

By lying on employment applications and embezzling money from the VSO program, the prosecutor is required to disclose that information to defense counsel if Hollowell is involved in the case. Since he is the Sheriff who leads and trains his officers, maybe it needs to be disclosed in all cases?

So how many people need to be released from prison because Sheriff Hollowell lied on his employment applications and embezzled money from the Inyo County VSO? Failure to disclose is a Brady Violation, but defense counsel must demand the information through the discovery process.

Have prosecutors failed to disclose that Hollowell has an integrity problem and may have violated the law by embezzling money from the county VSO program? Prosecutors certainly had knowledge of the fact when “The Sheet” news source addressed the VSO issue in their March edition. Reporter Zachary Hite did an excellent job by the way.

When a member of law enforcement fails to follow the same laws they are imposing on everyone else, there is a cancerous effect on enforcing the law without integrity. This is especially true when a law enforcement officer uses his/her position to perpetrate crimes which is called operating under the color of law.

FORCED TO BLOW THE WHISTLE

When Hollowell was joining the sheriff’s department, a young woman was on active duty, serving her country in faraway lands. Little did either individual know how their paths would cross later in life?

The numerous sources we consulted with for information about Hollowell’s dubious behavior all said the same thing, “you need to speak with Jessica; she knows what is really going on in the VSO office.”

Instead of helping the Veterans, Sheriff Hollowell was busy with stupid little projects like his prescription drug disposal program. One Inyo citizen said, “I’ll bet Hollowell’s the only one with a key!”

We did our best to contact Jessica Allmon, but Sheriff Hollowell had already fired Jessica. We had no other alternative but to speak with those who knew her and the circumstances of her wrongful dismissal. By all accounts, she is a remarkable woman.

Jessica Allmon applied with Inyo County, California for the position of Veterans Services Representative, a step below that of a Veterans Service Officer (VSO).

Allmon was hired and Sheriff Hollowell showed her to the VSO office. She was hoping to receive some guidance and training from Hollowell, but he said there’s a few binders over there, see ya later.

Knowing literally nothing about the job she was assigned to, Allmon threw her full effort into the task, basically training herself with the help of online information, regulatory manuals, and guidance from experienced VSO officers from other counties.

Jessica Allmon quickly became an expert in handling a VSO operation. She was in high demand from suffering veterans in Mono and Inyo Counties, as well as across the country.

She provided expert guidance and help submitting forms and claims for the veterans of Inyo County that roughly numbered 3,000+, and adjacent Mono County, California that had an additional 2,000+ veterans.

She was so damn good at what she did; people all over the world began to contact her for help with numerous VA problems.

One day Jessica received a phone call from a secret service agent in Washington, D.C. who said he had heard that she was the go-to-gal to cut through the mammoth red tape of the Veterans Administration.

It’s estimated Jessica Allmon, without any help at all from Sheriff Hollowell, processed about 6,000 forms per year. Her phone never stopped ringing and she did her level best to help all Veterans no matter where they resided.

Jessica Allmon traveled hundreds of miles each week to the homes of housebound veterans to provide her expertise in dealing with the massive labyrinth of the Veterans Administration. Remember, the VA has 360,000 employees.

When Hollowell fired her as a VSR (Veterans Services Representative), all of that badly needed service came to a screeching halt. Veterans suffered and continue to suffer; thank you Sheriff Hollowell.

PENDING STATE AUDIT
CREATED A DILEMMA

VSO offices are subject to scrutiny from state officials, because all fifty States receive federal money to maintain VSO offices. In California, CALVET is the primary governing authority. About four (4) years ago, Jessica received word the Inyo County VSO office was to have an in-person audit.

Jessica Allmon was smart enough to know that she was potentially being set up for a fall. Hollowell was not eligible to be the VSO officer. As far as anyone knows, for 15 years, Hollowell has never completed any of the annual continuing education credits required to be a VSO officer. And, as far as we could tell, he had never submitted a form on behalf of any Veteran.

Even though Hollowell had been bilking the VSO program for fifteen years, he was never conducting the duties of a VSO officer as the job demanded.

Hollowell was allowed to pull off this sham for all these years with the help of the elected and appointed officials of Inyo County. Allmon probably knew Hollowell was being protected by the good-old-boys of Inyo County enabling him to continue embezzling funds year after year for 15 years.

Knowing the audit of the VSO office was pending, Jessica wisely drafted a strategic plan for the Inyo County VSO office. Her military experience taught her that if you sit there with no answers state auditors start asking the tough questions, funding would probably be withdrawn and the veterans of Inyo County would be left to twist in the wind.

Jessica would probably become a scapegoat and be dismissed. In her strategic plan, Jessica provided a truthful assessment of where the office was and the corrective action that needed to be done to put the “ship” back on course.

A truthful assessment meant that she had to disclose that Sheriff Hollowell was doing virtually none of the duties of a VSO officer and that he was not eligible to be a VSO officer because he never completed any of the required CE courses. She was not going to lie to state auditors in order to protect Sheriff Hollowell.

That’s when the rose came off the bud. Sheriff Hollowell began to weave his little web so he could rid himself of the person who exposed his embezzlement, and the fact he wasn’t even eligible to be a VSO officer.

Jessica Allmon was caught between a rock and a hard place. If she covered for the sheriff, she would have to lie to state auditors. If the state auditors moved to shut down the VSO office, then Jessica would have been blamed and summarily fired.

Hollowell would probably have been more than happy to hang the problems of the VSO office around Jessica’s neck so nothing would fall back on him.

SHERIFF HOLLOWELL FIRES JESSICA

Prior to the inspection of the Inyo County VSO office, Jessica asked state auditors for guidance. Jessica was encouraged to submit a strategic plan to correct the short comings of Inyo County’s VSO office with her annual budget.

While this action staved off any VSO defunding effort by state auditors, it also made Jessica’s strategic plan available to everyone, because the budget process, is by law, a transparent process.

Hollowell gave Jessica Allmon a letter of reprimand because her strategic plan was making him look bad. Never mind that he is taking money under false pretenses and pretending to be a VSO officer for fifteen years.

The harassment of Jessica Allmon by Sheriff Hollowell went on for years, which caused extraordinary stress. Since Hollowell was “king” of Inyo County and accountable to no one, Hollowell wove his web around Jessica and fired her on trumped up charges.

The pressure and stress laid on her by Sheriff Hollowell, may have contributed to health issues. Jessica had a major health scare when she noticed a lump on her breast.

Combined with the frightening thought she could have cancer, she now lost her job and health benefits. Even during this time, Jessica regularly attended VFW meetings and continued to help as many veterans as strength would allow. She was virtually doing the same tasks as before, but without a paycheck from Inyo County.

The Coronavirus slowed down everything including the hoops to go through when firing a county employee. Fearing that her drawn out dismissal process was denying veterans of desperately needed help, Jessica chose to resign hoping the county would quickly hire someone to replace her so the veterans would have someone to help them in an official capacity.

In their infinite wisdom, Inyo County didn’t hire anyone to replace Jessica and the VSO office has literally been shut down because Hollowell has no clue as to how to guide veterans to resolve VA problems.

Is Hollowell was still receiving his 7.5% pay bump every month for being a VSO officer, even after the VSO office has been shut down? One of our sources responded, “As far as we know, Sheriff Hollowell is still embezzling funds from the government while pretending to be a VSO officer.”

The “sign” to help guide patrons in to the house of prostitution just across the state line. This was the sign that Sheriff Don Dorsey looked for when his pockets were flush with the taxpayer money.

EMBEZZLEMENT IS PART OF THE DNA
AT THE INYO COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Do any of the readers remember former Inyo County Sheriff Don Dorsey who was CONVICTED of embezzlement? Dorsey stole over $100,000 of public funds. Prosecutors believed it may have been upwards of $200,000.

Sheriff Dorsey was receiving drug-buy money from the narcotics division, but instead of using the money for its intended purpose, he would spend the money gambling and paying prostitutes for services rendered.

Sources say his sheriff’s unmarked cruiser was frequently seen parked in front of a popular Nevada whore house called “Janie’s Ranch,” located about six miles North of Benton, California.

Dorsey would cruise in his unmarked sheriff’s cruiser, up Highway US-6, across state line to first get his knob polished, then, with leftover embezzled cash, he headed further north in Nevada to gamble and probably have dinner at Nevada’s Montgomery Pass Casino.

A local jury found Dorsey guilty on eight charges, but the “forgiving” judge threw out a perjury count before sentencing. Why no one knows. Dorsey’s sentence was only five years’ probation, community service work, and a lousy $1,600 fine.

If a military member had been convicted of stealing 100,000 tax dollars, he probably would have received a firing squad, at best, life imprisonment at worst. Forget about joining the military; go submit an application to become a sheriff’s deputy in Inyo County, California if you’re the embezzling type.

And, who do you think Sheriff Don Dorsey hired and was mentoring? That’s right… the young deputy Jeffery R. Hollowell. The whole episode with Dorsey made Hollowell realize that if he ever became sheriff of Inyo County, he could embezzle like crazy, and the worst that could happen would be community service and a paltry fine.

If we’re not mistaken, because of the extraordinary amount that was stolen, Sheriff Dorsey was not legally eligible for probation. Theft of 100,000+ dollars should have resulted in a mandatory prison sentence. The judge gave the slime-ball sheriff a slap on the wrist with probation and a ridiculously low fine.


A SPECIAL MESSAGE TO SHERIFF HOLLOWELL:

We have so much information about you, that we didn’t have the room to enter it all in this article.

If you feel that you have been wrongfully maligned or anything we have written is inaccurate, we will give you equal time to tell your side of the story. We will treat you, as you treat criminal suspects. Submit a sworn statement addressing each allegation and we will publish it.

Sheriff, you need to immediately resign and pay back all the money you have taken as a VSO officer.

You were never qualified for the job to begin with, because you never helped a Veteran and according to our sources never completed any continuing education courses in fifteen years of being a VSO officer.

SUMMARY:

Inyo County needs to immediately fire Sheriff Hollowell and hire Jessica Allmon back, but this time as the VSO officer running the VSO department for Inyo County’s Veterans.

Jeffery “Bully with a Badge” Hollowell needs to be sent to the greystone hotel for taking money from the federal, state and county governments under false pretenses and falsifying official documents to carry out his scheme of fraud and deception?

A SPECIAL MESSAGE TO THE RESIDENTS
(AND VETERANS) OF INYO AND MONO COUNTIES:

Citizens in Inyo County who voted for Hollowell; when you see a veteran don’t say, “thank you for your service.” By voting for Hollowell, you have screwed the veterans of Inyo and Mono Counties. Don’t thank someone for their service while you are stabbing them in the back.

We suggest citizens consider becoming politically active to remove this pathetic sheriff from the office he holds along with all his minions that have enabled his criminal and ethical misconduct. There needs to be a house-cleaning.

And, to the people who support and protect Hollowell, you should be ashamed. If you don’t help solve the problem then YOU also are the problem. And don’t tell us you didn’t know about Hollowell’s bullying behavior. You chose to look the other way, thereby enabling the bully embezzler to perpetrate all manner of misconduct.

The Inyo County VSO office is virtually shut down. Sheriff Hollowell has single-handedly destroyed the VSO office, and got paid to do it. The closest VSO office is 200 miles away in Bakersfield, California. Housebound vets are shit out of luck, because there is no Jessica Allmon to drive to their home and provide the VSO help they desperately need.

Jessica Allmon served her country in the Army for ten years, and received an HONORABLE discharge (a real Honorable Discharge). The Inyo County Board of Supervisors allowed the sheriff to get rid of the very person the county should have kept. The Board of Supervisors allowed Hollowell to continue his embezzling ways.

Anyone who wants to share a Hollowell story, please do so. We ask that you do not embellish, and that everything you say is truthful. Leave the falsehoods to the Hollowell’s of the world to put on their job applications.


How many violations of law do you think the sheriff and his administration have committed over the years?

The winner of this contest will receive either a Kewpie doll, a tip of the hat (or both). There are no trick questions.

  1. Forgery
  2. Receiving stolen property
  3. Extortion
  4. Burglary
  5. Robbery
  6. Larceny by Trick
  7. Embezzlement
  8. Filing False Official Statement(s)
  9. Operating under the color-of-law
  10. Fraud
  11. Misrepresentation
  12. False imprisonment
  13. Arson
  14. Murder
  15. Rape
  16. Subornation of perjury
  17. Bribery
  18. Conspiracy
  19. Intoxication
  20. Assault
  21. Battery
  22. Mayhem
  23. Kidnapping