George Zimmerman might get his bond raised or revoked for failing to disclose to the court or to his attorney that he had $200K in donations gathered online. At the time of his hearing he claimed that his family would have to scrape together the $15K he would need to get out of jail and that he was otherwise broke.

His attorney, one of Florida's top criminal defense lawyers, had offered to do the case pro bono. Prior to the hearing he said he hadn't seen the accounts but thought they had a couple hundred dollars in them.

Who is funding George Zimmerman and what do they hope to get out of it?

[www.miamiherald.com]

It seems odd to me that, since it was all over the news that Zimmerman had set up the web site, nobody had ever inquired as to the amount of money that might be in it but chose to be satisfied with what they "thought" it held. This seems like a gaffe on the part of the court and the lawyers to me.

As for who is funding it, to me an amount of $200,000 sounds perfectly reasonable to have been raised from many smaller donors, since this was a national story. Kickstarter projects have raised more than that with about 1/100th of the publicity. You just need folks who care enough to click on a button.

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"Stop thinking about art works as objects, and start thinking about them as triggers for experiences." ~ Brian Eno

I think it's a lot given that the ownership control and planned use of the funds wasn't clear and he lied publicly (through his uninformed attorney) about the existence of the money.

He had credibility issues before but hopefully the court sees that this guy with hidden resources who isn't even straight with his defense attorneys maybe shouldn't be out of state on a low dollar bond.

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$tevie
It seems odd to me that, since it was all over the news that Zimmerman had set up the web site, nobody had ever inquired as to the amount of money that might be in it but chose to be satisfied with what they "thought" it held. This seems like a gaffe on the part of the court and the lawyers to me.

As for who is funding it, to me an amount of $200,000 sounds perfectly reasonable to have been raised from many smaller donors, since this was a national story. Kickstarter projects have raised more than that with about 1/100th of the publicity. You just need folks who care enough to click on a button.

I agree - doesn't surprise me at all. Why didn't they check this out before setting bail?

The question was asked. In court. Zimmerman lied about it in court, and so did his family members if they knew the funds existed.
He has control of the funds, his attorney had no way to gather that knowledge without the aid of Zimmerman.

Hang him for lying.
We don't even want to know what he knew when.
Speculation is good enough.
Just hang the @#$%&.

The case file is ordered to stay public, and law enforcement and attorneys can talk to the media all they want.
Judge has no concerns about that.

billb.. he's not a @#$%&. He's a @#$%& ! Jeez... get your apellations right !

Me... I'm a Honky

I don't mind that he has raised money on the web for his defense and I don't mind where it's come from. the question that bothers me is why people are donating to him.

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mrbigstuff
I don't mind that he has raised money on the web for his defense and I don't mind where it's come from. the question that bothers me is why people are donating to him.

I agree. He did nothing illegal until he told the court he was indigent and would have a hard time raising funds for bail. We'll see how that plays out.

A few people commenting have said they donated to him because they believe in the right to self defense. So I assume this is a political statement in support of the "stand your ground" law and they view Zimmerman as a martyr for the cause.

Since it hasn't been shown in court that this actually was self-defense, that may or may not work out for them.
OR - it's a response to the support the Martins are getting from people involved in civil rights and victim's rights.
It's an ugly truth that there are people who aren't sad that Trayvon Martin is dead.

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Lemon Drop
The question was asked. In court. Zimmerman lied about it in court, and so did his family members if they knew the funds existed.
He has control of the funds, his attorney had no way to gather that knowledge without the aid of Zimmerman.

How much was donated after Zimmerman was taken into custody and unless he had internet access in jail, which is extremely unlikely, how would he know of these donations. I suspect that his arrest was the catalyst for the majority of the donations.

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Fox News: Best comedy channel that isn't a comedy channel.

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Spock

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Lemon Drop
The question was asked. In court. Zimmerman lied about it in court, and so did his family members if they knew the funds existed.
He has control of the funds, his attorney had no way to gather that knowledge without the aid of Zimmerman.

How much was donated after Zimmerman was taken into custody and unless he had internet access in jail, which is extremely unlikely, how would he know of these donations. I suspect that his arrest was the catalyst for the majority of the donations.

It was his paypal account. He released a statement while he was still free saying he set up this account himself so that people would know it was legit. Therefore to not have his attorney check the balance and reveal what was in it before the bond hearing is dishonest at best.
Also, $50K or more has been spent already.

I think we will learn in time that Zimmerman and his dad are both pretty despicable people.

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Dennis S
I think we will learn in time that Zimmerman and his dad are both pretty despicable people.

...and this is based on what? Without facts, you might as well say that we will learn in time that the surface of Mercury is made of green cheese. I'm glad he was arrested as the police originally wanted to do but I'm happy for Zimmerman to have his day in court and let the facts fall where they may.

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"So be proud to be a decent American instead of just a w'anker whipping up fear!" - Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland

I don't think he's a flight risk and that's all bail is supposed to represent, the assurance a defendant will appear in court to answer charges. If the slush fund were to grow way beyond present expectations...

'Stand your ground' provides a pre-trial remedy.

Even if he is denied relief under the above he can still claim self-defense at trial.

Maybe those who donated expect him to face a full trial?

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Lemon Drop
A few people commenting have said they donated to him because they believe in the right to self defense. So I assume this is a political statement in support of the "stand your ground" law and they view Zimmerman as a martyr for the cause.

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Dennis S
I think we will learn in time that Zimmerman and his dad are both pretty despicable people.

Absolutely,

hang them both....

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max

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Dennis S
I think we will learn in time that Zimmerman and his dad are both pretty despicable people.

Absolutely,

hang them both....

I'm not going to participate in max's right vs. left fantasy game, but . . . why do you think this?

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MR/F Guestmap: [www.mapservices.org]

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Black

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max

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Dennis S
I think we will learn in time that Zimmerman and his dad are both pretty despicable people.

Absolutely,

hang them both....

I'm not going to participate in max's right vs. left fantasy game, but . . . why do you think this?

I'll answer in a day or two. If I forget, PM me.*

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Black

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max

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Dennis S
I think we will learn in time that Zimmerman and his dad are both pretty despicable people.

Absolutely,

hang them both....

I'm not going to participate in max's right vs. left fantasy game, but . . . why do you think this?

I'll answer in a day or two. If I forget, PM me.