May 22, 2006
Honorable James Whittemore
Sam M. Gibbons U.S. Courthouse
801 North Florida Ave.
Tampa, Florida 33602
Your Honor:
I am writing this letter on behalf of a former military colleague of mine, Mr. Tom Spellissy. I worked with, and under the command of, Tom Spellissy while stationed with the 1st Armored Division in Germany from 1985 through early 1988. In this time Mr. Spellissy earned my utmost respect in his conduct as a professional Army Officer. His character and ethics were above reproach and he instilled those same qualities in the junior officers who worked under him; myself included.
While I have not maintained close communication with Mr. Spellissy in recent years, I cannot fathom his wavering from the moral and ethical guidelines he established for those of us under his command. He always lived by those same standards he preached. As his Executive Officer for some 18 months, I worked hand in hand with Mr. Spellissy, day in and day out. Even under some of the most stressful conditions, I never witnessed Mr. Spellissy stray from his convictions. In my opinion, his character has always been above reproach.
Based on what I have been able to read about this case, the chief witness, Mr. Bill Burke, testified he did not accept a bribe, and that payments received was for legitimate work performed. I did not read anything that stated either party was asked to do anything illegal. I believe a second witness testified that an investigation of Mr. Burke’s work did not reveal any preferential treatment towards Mr. Spellissy.
Based on my personal knowledge and experience of working with Mr. Spellissy; in addition to the information I have gleaned from following this case, I would like to recommend Mr. Spellissy’s acquittal on all charges.
If you have any questions or require any additional information I would be more than happy to assist you. Thank you very much in advance for taking my letter into consideration on this case.
Sincerely,
Christopher T. Ullrich
6629 Cricklewood Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46220