Tampa, FL - The spokesman for Florida’s Department of Children and Families was charged Friday with eight counts of using a child in a sexual performance. Al Zimmerman, 40, is accused of abusing two teenage boys, ages 16 and 17, and authorities believe there may be more teenaged victims. One victim met Zimmerman through the DCF, and the agency admits that the boy was in foster care under their supervision at the time of the abuse.
The Florida Department of Children and Families did not require fingerprinting of employees at the time Zimmerman was hired as their spokesperson. Zimmerman, a former television journalist in the Tampa Bay area, was hired by DCF in 2005. None of his former employers were contacted, probably because one of his “glowing” references was from Florida Governor Charlie Crist, who was then the state’s attorney general.
Authorities say that they believe Zimmerman was distributing the photographs he took of the two teenagers posing naked and masturbating. His arrest report says he offered the victims money for the photographs. The boys were underage when the crimes happened between December 2005 and last Friday. Police say that Zimmerman may have victimized more children based on interviews with witnesses and victims, one of whom contacted the police last week.
Here’s Al’s cached Myspace page, which has since been deleted. I bet Gov. Crist is so proud.
19 responses so far ↓
1
impqueen
Feb 5, 2008 at 2:04 pm -Oh, PS - Ells found this story, Ells posted this story in the forums, and Ells helped me get this morning’s mugshot mayhem straightened out, so here’s a shout out to you, Ells
http://wetmen.provocateuse.com.....bio_01.jpg
2
ells9824
Feb 5, 2008 at 2:11 pm -*GASP*
3
jenjen0135
Feb 5, 2008 at 2:52 pm -That perv doesn’t look remorseful at all- Just PISSED that he got busted.
Jerk.
4
impqueen
Feb 5, 2008 at 3:47 pm -You know what I love about this guy?
He knocked four years off his age on his Myspace (linked above). Because 36 is just way more attractive to the kiddos than 40.
5
ells9824
Feb 5, 2008 at 4:23 pm -Dum dumdum DUMMMMM……
Tampa, Florida — More victims. More pictures. More teenagers. Is this possible?
Could the TV reporter turned DCF spokesperson have allegedly violated more kids? Tampa Police detective believe so.
http://tinyurl.com/yw2ntk
6
Kathy
Feb 5, 2008 at 6:20 pm -I. Fucking. Hate. Pedophiles.
Seriously. If this fucker doesn’t show you that you can not trust anyone around your children, who would?
7
V
Feb 5, 2008 at 6:42 pm -Nice. Foster kids! Kids who were take out of abusive homes only to be put into a state-funded abuse placement. And … recommended for the job by the State’s Attorney General, now Govenor! Holy Balls! That guy is running the state of Florida.
Would be interesting to know what Crists conviction rate was for pedophiles during his tenure as AG, as compared to past/present conviction rate.
8
WryBread
Feb 5, 2008 at 10:40 pm -“Using children in a sexual performance” sounds like they were onstage in a theatre. You’re right, we need better crime names. This sounds almost like something that might happen a certain galleries in the big city. Like Annie Sprinkle letting everyone see her cervix.
His eyes look so dead. Dead-blue. His nose iweirdly pinched. And that awful lock of blond, boyish hair.
9
ells9824
Feb 6, 2008 at 12:56 am -Now that he is no longer a co-worker everyone is talking.Yes, we thought he was weird. No, we didn’t trust him. Yes he is most heinous.
Al Zimmerman’s greatest hits so far:
*2007,Florida,Offering to pay 16 and 17 year old boys to take pictures of themselves masturbating
*1994,Georgia,Repeatedly tried to borrow $3,000.00 from a subject of a newscast,a police chiefs wife. Their son had just signed a professional sports contract, and she got the hint that the stories may dry up if he got a loan from that signing bonus. A complaint was forwarded to the station manager.
*1996,Texas, failed to sufficiently blur participants in a story about the “tea room trade”
*1996,Texas and Florida,charged twice with bad checks. Paid fine.
What does some of this have to do with abusing power and abusing already unstable teens? Absolutely nothing but its amusing to air his dirty laundry about being unable to manage money and pointing one finger at closet gays while pointing 3 back at himself HAHA
10
ells9824
Feb 6, 2008 at 1:02 am -PS: DCF is now checking 13,500 personnel files to make sure every employee has a background check.
11
WryBread
Feb 6, 2008 at 7:08 pm -This is the kind of work I would get when I was a temp. “Here are 13,500 files, look in each one to see if there is a background check form.”
“Okay.” (Thinking two weeks of work!!!! Yeah!!!!!)
12
solange822001
Feb 7, 2008 at 8:34 am -Well, imagine that! Why didnt we think of this before! What a GENIUS idea!
Dumbasses!
13
Pirelli Jones
Feb 7, 2008 at 10:01 am -Lots of thoughts on this one, in defense of DCF (which is a rare place for me to be) I would theorize a background check is absolute must for anyone involved or interacting with children but may not be required for ancillary positions like spokesperson where child access is assumed limited. Case workers, mental health professionals, anyone with access to the children in the system should be scrutinized heavily “for the sake of the kids” so to speak. But,
Why the hell did the spokesperson/PR guy have access to the kids in the first place?
14
sheshi
Feb 16, 2008 at 10:42 am -What Al did was wrong. We all know that. I just wish that I lived in Florida so I could have been there for my cousin. You don’t even want to know what I was doing at 16 and 17. Whatever. Al will always be family and I still love him. He knew what he was doing and now has to pay the price. The 16 and 17 year old boys knew what they were doing too. I pray for all of them.
In Colorado, everyone working with kids has to pass extensive background checks including fingerprints. Why doesn’t Florida have them?
15
impqueen
Feb 16, 2008 at 10:55 am -The difference is that Al is 40 (or 36, if you believe his Myspace). He is a legal adult. The boys he molested and filmed were underage, he knew they were underage, and he molested them anyway. I’m glad you realize that he has to pay for what he’s done. He abused the trust of the boys (regardless of whether they consented - they weren’t legally able to consent). He abused his position as a child advocate, which is damned heinous, and he wasn’t even out of the closet properly.
Do you have any idea what might have caused your cousin to develop an affinity for boys young enough to be his sons? Is there a family history of abuse, or is he just a perv? Don’t get me wrong, I have more than one perv relative so I understand that does happen. It’s no reflection on you personally unless you defend him and tell us how innocent he is.
16
sheshi
Feb 16, 2008 at 11:46 am -I have no idea what happened. This family is shocked and saddened. Albert had everything going for him. A father who was a professor and his mother a nurse - both retired. They had a house with a pool in the 60’s in Lakeland. There was no abuse. He had everything. To my knowledge, he grew up in “Beaver Cleaver land”.
I love being around him. At family gatherings he was always the star. I had more fun with him when I went to Florida than anyone else. He lived my dream of working in television - although I wanted to be behind the camera.
For the record, Al is 40. I remember him in diapers by the pool in Lakeland when my sister and I were 10.
So where do we go now? Al is a very intelligent man and he knew what he was doing was illegal. I don’t know that he molested them. The charges are for pornography. I guess all will come out at trial. If he’s gay, he hid it very well from us. He was a true ladies man. My sister is going down there in March. Maybe we’ll find something out. In the meantime, I believe he’s guilty and will pay the price. My heart cries for his parents.
He’s my cousin. What can I say. I just want to go down there and slap him upside the head. He knew better. I can’t defend his actions. All I can do is help with emotional support for my family right now, including Albert.
17
Bookman
Feb 18, 2008 at 2:48 pm -SHESHI,
A few years ago, I worked with Al for about year and I am very sorry his world has spun out of control. It is so hard to believe. After talking with him about many personal things, I would have never connected him to the evidence. My image of Al does not fit his alleged actions. He was a very nice person, extremely talented, and not one who would take advantage of youth.
Then I see the evidence, and think, “Oh, my God.” I am bewildered.
How could he have become so desperate? I sit in disbelief. How can this all be?
I haven’t talked to Al in at least three years. Like many, I suppose, I am absolutely dumbfounded. I can’t imagine the agony of his parents and brother. I never met them, but I am thinking of them often. I am glad you are there for his immediate family. They don’t deserve to feel alone, and neither does Al.
18
impqueen
Feb 18, 2008 at 6:36 pm -I really think I know what you meant by that comment. But i can’t help but say, “Yeah, and neither do the boys he photographed, but they’re foster kids, so they really kind of ARE alone.”
I do appreciate that even Al’s family is being pretty stand-up about all this. I know it’s hard when a family member is accused of a crime, especially a sex crime, especially when it seems to go against his outwardly stated sexual preference. This family obviously has some class since they’re not sending us “MY _____ IS INCENSE” hate mail (we get a lot of that).
Some otherwise straight men like young boys. Al may have been that kinda guy. Even if he never touched them, ( a big if, really) he knew they were minors, knew they were foster kids, and he took pictures of them anyway. That just isn’t gonna be good for him.
19
sheshi
Feb 18, 2008 at 9:27 pm -Thank you. It’s good to know that someone else there is as confused about this as all of us are. Albert was not someone I would ever believe could do this. I look at that picture and just see the sadness in his eyes. I’ll never understand but I will always be at his side.
I don’t know what happened to Albert, but please know that he really is a good person. Right now we’re just trying to get in touch with his family (he has an older sister too) and see what we can do. At this point, just a letter would be all. No, it’s not going to be good for him. Prison is not a place I would want to live.
Right now we’re all shocked and saddened. It’s time for this family to pull together. I was just really upset with all of the horrible things that were written about him and wanted to show his real side. I don’t know what happened to our Albert, but we’re there for him. I’ll be getting his address soon so if anyone wants to write, do so. It will go through me and there will be no hate mail forwarded. If I believe you’re for real, I’ll give you my email address.
Albert did a bad thing and has to pay for that. He really is a GREAT person though, without this. I guess he’s done some really stupid things in his past, but this is the worst. I still love him with all of my heart.
Sharon
You must log in to post a comment.