Shraman Mitra
When Kris Johnson met former U.S. Army Commander James “Jim” Johnson, she believed she had found the man of her dreams. He seemed destined for a bright future and was extremely eager to serve his country with honor. However, as their marriage grew pretty rocky, Jim started showing a side of himself that frankly left Kris terrified. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry: Duty, Honor, Deception’ chronicles how Jim cheated on his wife during a deployment in Iraq and follows the investigation that charged him with adultery, fraud, and bigamy. Well, let’s delve into the details surrounding the incident and find out where Kris is at present, shall we?
Who Is Kris Johnson?
When Kris met Jim for the first time, he was about to make his mark on the U.S. Army and was only too glad to help him in his efforts. Surprisingly, even he seemed interested in her and her ambitions, supporting her through ROTC Airborne School and being there during her graduation. Even their families were aware of the couple’s passion for each other, and pretty soon, Kris found herself tying the knot with Jim.
Readers would be surprised to know that Kris and Jim’s marriage flourished initially, and the two were each other’s most important support systems on their way to the top. The pair even welcomed two wonderful children into this world and were delighted to embrace their parental duties. Besides, with Jim being trained for higher posts in the army, the future seemed bright for the two. Yet, fate had other plans, as he was deployed to Afghanistan shortly after 9/11, and later the army shifted him to Iraq in 2005.
Meanwhile, Kris and her children stayed back in the United States, although she later mentioned that life without her then-husband was pretty hard. However, things seemingly changed once Jim returned home, and his wife noticed that he would get irritated at the drop of a hat. On top of it, he appeared to have lost all affection for Kris, and the couple would end up quarreling over minor issues. Not just that, even the former Army Commander’s relationship with his children deteriorated, as he rarely paid them attention.
Nevertheless, in 2008, Jim received orders to move to Italy and decided to take his family along. Kris was happy at such a move since she believed a fresh start in a new country might save her marriage. Surprisingly, Jim refused to change his behavior, and his wife received her biggest shock when her then-husband brought home an Iraqi family. While the family consisted of Alladin Al-Atar, his wife, and his daughter, Haveen Al-Atar, Jim appeared to be on excellent terms with them and was even close to Haveen’s son.
Jim was also open to buying the family whatever they needed, and Kris discovered that he had given her and Haveen the same gift. Naturally, such behavior made her suspicious of a possible affair, but her then-husband denied it once she confronted him about her fears. Still, he could not hide it for long as Kris soon came across numerous email exchanges which confirmed that her then-husband was having an extramarital affair with Haveen. Even though Kris confronted Jim about the affair, she refused to go to the authorities and kept the news a secret for two years.
In the meantime, Jim tried to make his ex-wife’s life as difficult as possible by using his power as an ex-Army Commander to drive her out of Italy. Terrified, when Kris fled the country with their children, he appealed that his then-wife had violated the Hague Convention by kidnapping them. Furthermore, he even faked her signature on forged divorce papers and married Haveen before transferring the benefits of a military spouse in the Iraqi native’s name.
Luckily, Kris found out about her then-husband’s activities after her claims were rejected at a hospital, and she immediately informed the authorities about her predicament. Surprisingly, when investigating Jim, army authorities discovered that not only was he indulging in adultery and bigamy, but he was also in league with Alladin Al-Atar, and was using his help to steal thousands of dollars from the army through fake contracts. Thus, with enough evidence for a case, investigators wasted no time arresting Jim Johnson for his crimes.
Where is Kris Johnson Now?
The army allowed Kris and her children to attend Jim’s trial, and they watched him plead guilty to 15 charges, including adultery. In addition, he was convicted of two counts of conduct unbecoming of an officer, and the court sentenced him to five years in prison or a $300,000 fine in 2012. Unfortunately, Jim’s father immediately paid the fine to get him out of jail, and he was allowed to return to Haveen, albeit with him being demoted to the rank of Colonel.
Incidentally, Kris divorced Jim soon after the trial, and she even received the benefits she was entitled to as an ex-army spouse. Besides, she claimed that although her former husband currently resides with Haveen and her daughter, she has refused to keep in touch with him. Moreover, the ex-Army Commander decided to remain estranged from his children, who are living with their mother at the time of writing.
Interestingly, when Kris was dealing with the whole ordeal, she realized that her husband’s crime might get him kicked out of the army, which would take away her benefits as a military spouse, despite her doing nothing wrong. Hence, she decided to speak up for other similarly affected military spouses and came up with an act that would safeguard their well-being, even if their partners were punished for their wrongdoings. It is inspiring to witness Kris’ courage and determination in the face of extreme despair, and we wish her the best in her future endeavors.
Read More: Jim Johnson: Where is Ex-Army Officer Now?
