The defense of notorious Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger has cost American tax payers a little more than $3 million.
The Boston Globe reports that public defenders made their billing public in a court filing on Friday.
The Globe reports:
"The documents showed that the lawyers had billed the government for $2,730,844.51, while payments for experts had mounted to $249,666.06, and the cost of transcripts totaled $36,158.55.
"The total cost added up to $3,016,669.12, the federal court financial manager reported to US District Judge Denise J. Casper, who presided over Bulger's case."
As we reported, Bulger was convicted of multiple murders and racketeering by a federal jury in August.
The AP reports he his appealing his case, so the costs could continue to rise.
It's worth noting that when Bulger was captured after 16 years of being on the lam, police confiscated $822,000 in cash. Prosecutors asked a judge to allow to the seize up to $25.1 million in assets. At the time, the AP reported that Bulger's defense attorney scoffed at the notion that his client had that kind of money.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
