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Donald Trump 'Can't Be Trusted to Show Up' for Georgia Arrest–Lawyer (www.newsweek.com)
submitted 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) by to c/politics@lemmy.world
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[–] 45 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) (1 child)

I keep seeing this, so I wanted to clear up some details:

  • Bail isn’t a penalty, it is an incentive to return for trial (to get your money back). Bail was waived for Trump in previous cases because not only is he constantly followed by Secret Service, he is a high profile person who won’t be able to hide for long anywhere in the world.
  • Bail is typically a tenth (or less) of what Trump was given for even some violent felonies.
  • You must pay the entire amount to be released on bail, unless you get a bail bond.
  • A bail bond is when a third party agrees to pay the bail amount if you do not show up for trial. The 10% frequently cited is a fee to the bail bondsman for taking this risk. You still have to provide some kind of collateral to the bondsman to cover the remainder of the bail amount.
  • You don’t get the 10% back. If you have the cash to cover bail, it makes sense to use it because then you can get it all back.

Trump getting a bail bond would be a public admission that he doesn’t have the cash. He’ll find the cash.

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  • [–] 5 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) (2 children)

    You must pay the entire amount to be released on bail, unless you get a bail bond.

    Reporting I've seen is that in the jurisdiction which Trump is charged in Georgia, you only have to post 10% to the court. Presumably, if you then abscond, you are on the hook for the remainder.

    EDIT: Reporting I have seen appears to be wrong; parent commenter appears to be correct:

    https://fultoncountyga.gov/inside-fulton-county/fulton-county-departments/sheriff/law-enforcement/bond-administration-unit

    Another edit:

    Hmm. I'm looking at Eastman's jail record, and all of his charges say "Disposition: 10% bond." So I really don't know.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) (1 child)

    Yeah, I looked over the article and they say this, but I can't find a single reference to that program outside of articles about Trump. Odd.

    Even the article doesn't say if the 10% is returned. Maybe the FC Sheriff has in-house bail bonding.

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  • [–] 3 points 3 years ago

    I saw your initial reply and looked into it, edited the above. I think you're right and the reporting is wrong. I've seen wrong reporting on other aspects of this situation, too, so this is not a surprise to me. That's why my initial reply was in reference to "reporting I've seen." I already had my doubts.

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