Casey Anthony lies to cost her $100K, Florida judge rules

Casey Anthony, the young Florida mother acquitted of killing her daughter, was ordered on Thursday to pay almost $100,000 to cover some of the expenses incurred after she falsely claimed 2-year-old Caylee had been kidnapped.

Judge Belvin Perry ruled that Anthony must reimburse $97,676.98 in investigative costs incurred between July 15, 2008 — when Anthony first told detectives her daughter had been kidnapped by a nanny — and September 29, 2008, when detectives determined Caylee likely was dead rather than missing.

Anthony was charged with Caylee’s murder and four counts of lying to investigators. In a nationally televised trial this summer, Anthony was acquitted of the murder but found guilty of the lies.
Prosecutors requested she repay $517,000, the full cost several police agencies and the prosecutor’s office said was incurred as a result of her lies.

Perry explained why he ordered the lesser payment from Anthony, who is living in an undisclosed location while serving a year of probation for a 2010 check-fraud case: “[Anthony’s] lies or series of lies are inextricably intertwined with the entire investigation.”

Perry left open the door to increasing the amount Anthony must pay. The judge told the Orange County Sheriff’s Office to provide more detail about the work of 30 deputies and employees on the case so the cost of their time and effort may be added to Anthony’s bill.