Casey Anthony’s lies are about to cost her nearly $100,000 – but not her freedom.
A Florida judge ruled Thursday that the Anthony, acquitted for the murder of her daughter, must repay the state for the “wild goose chase” her bogus story about her 2-year-old’s kidnapping sent cops on.
While the civil judgement tab of $97,676 is steep, it’s well below the $500,000 sought by prosecutors during a hearing earlier this month.
Caylee Anthony disappeared in the summer of 2008, prompting a massive hunt for the missing child.
Casey Anthony repeatedly misled investigators in the case that drew national attention.
She initially told police that the little girl was kidnapped by a babysitter, but authorities determined the child-snatcher was a figment of her imagination.
Anthony, 25, was found not guilty in July of murdering her daughter by a jury that convicted her on four counts of lying to investigators.
Judge Belvin Perry ordered Anthony to pay $61,500 to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement; $25,837 to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office; and $10,283 to the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation. State prosecutors will receive $50.
The odds of the law enforcement agencies collecting are not great, as Anthony was declared indigent by the court and had her defense costs covered by the state.
Orlando defense attorney David Hill said the agencies can go after Anthony if she ever hits a cash windfall.
“If she ever wins the lottery, they can sue her for it,” said Hill. “If she hits a big book deal, several hundred thousand dollars, they could try to collect it then.”
The costs cover the time when detectives were investigating the case as a missing person probe, and not a murder investigation, Perry ruled.
Anthony is serving probation in Florida for unrelated check fraud charges, and is appealing her misdemeanor convictions
