SACRAMENTO, Calif. (WWJ) - A general with the California National Guard has been relieved of duty after he reportedly ordered troops to take his mother shopping.
Brigadier General Jeffrey Magram has also been accused of forcing subordinates to perform other personal tasks, such as making an on-duty National Guard member drive him 120 miles to a dental appointment and coercing an underling to take his place in a mandatory training session, the Los Angeles Times reported.
In addition, Magram is accused of putting an F-15C fighter jet on standby for a possible mission to fly low over civilian protesters in order to frighten and disperse them.
Most of the allegations against Magram were first disclosed in a June report by The Times.
Per the report, a Guard member who took Magram's mother shopping recalled the errand, commenting that "she was particular. When I say particular, it had to be at Whole Foods. … It just took her a long time to decide what she wanted, a lot of comparison shopping amongst products."
While Magram hasn't denied the accusations, he said no one complained about running errands for him, likening the tasks to the Air Force’s "wingman concept" in which Guard members look out for one another.
"Had I ever heard of any ethics issues like this from subordinates, peers or commanders, or perceptions of such, I would have corrected or addressed it on the spot," he said in a statement to an inspector general, per The Times.
After finding Magram guilty of the offenses, a National Guard board determined he'll be "involuntarily transferred" to the U.S. Air Force retired reserve, which a spokesman says is "parallel" to being fired.
In a memo to Magram, which was obtained by The Times, Major General Matthew Beevers wrote, "Your conduct has caused me to lose faith, trust and confidence in your ability to continue serving."
Magram is the fifth general to resign, retire or be fired in the wake of scandals exposed by The Times' investigation.
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