Chief Judge Belvin Perry ruled on Thursday that Casey Anthony must pay close to $100,000 to several law enforcement agencies for the costs of investigating the death of her daughter Caylee.
Casey Anthony walked out of the Orange County Jail on July 17, after being acquitted of degree murder charges in connection with the death of her daughter. She was sentenced to four years for lying to law enforcement officers who went on a “wild goose” chase in search of the toddler. Anthony repeatedly told law enforcement that Caylee was missing, even though the toddler was already dead one month before on June 16, 2008.
Given the scale of the investigation, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Metropolitan Bureau of Investigaton, Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office, all sought restitution in excess of $500,000.
Perry ruled that Casey is responsible for some of the cost of investigation, amounting to just over $97,000, covering the period July 15 to September 29, 2008, when law enforcement officers realized they weren’t searching for a missing child.
Anthony, who has kept a low profile since leaving jail, is serving one-year probation for check fraud, to which she pleaded guilty in January 2010.
