# Whoa, Back-Up!  RE: Casey Anthony's Bail

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-back-up-re-casey-anthonys-bail/588108>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 6, 2011, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-back-up-re-casey-anthonys-bail/588108 "2011-07-06T23:52:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-back-up-re-casey-anthonys-bail/588108/1 "2011-07-06T23:52:10Z")

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I didn’t realize Casey Anthony’s case is 3 years old!?! (So much for a speedy trial!) So, was she held without bail? Or, was she unable to raise bail? It’s hard to Google on this due to recent developments, as you may suspect.

Also, have they said what the jail time is for lying to the cops? Is the media trying to say the penalty is 3 years, so it’s an even-steven swap??? 😕

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**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-back-up-re-casey-anthonys-bail/588108/2 "2011-07-06T23:58:44Z")

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She was out on bail for a couple weeks. Back in Sept 2007. Some celebrity bounty hunter paid the half million bail. She couldn’t leave her house and there were private guards.

Prosecutors dragged up some old check charges and rearrested her. She’s never been out sense.  
[http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/crime/orl-bk-casey-anthony-court-discover-090409,0,7143553.story](http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/crime/orl-bk-casey-anthony-court-discover-090409,0,7143553.story)

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-back-up-re-casey-anthonys-bail/588108/3 "2011-07-07T00:03:23Z")

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> [@aceplace57](#):
>
> She was out on bail for a couple weeks. Back in Sept 2007. Some celebrity bounty hunter paid the half million bail. She couldn’t leave her house and there were private guards.
> 
> Prosecutors dragged up some old check charges and rearrested her. She’s never been out sense.

By “check charges”, you mean…passing bad checks? Just curious.

About her checkered past, whatever the story: I wager the judge instructed the jury to judge her on the merits of this case… or, if not the judge directly to the jury… I’m sure an objection was raised and sustained when a lawyer tried to slip this in to the argument.

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**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-back-up-re-casey-anthonys-bail/588108/4 "2011-07-07T00:13:11Z")

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Casey stole her best friends checkbook earlier in the summer of 07 before her daughter was reported missing. Wrote 4 checks and got convicted for it. Those charges were handled while she was in jail for her daughters disappearance.  
[http://articles.cnn.com/2010-01-25/justice/florida.casey.anthony.court\_1\_george-and-cindy-anthony-caylee-check-fraud?\_s=PM:CRIME](http://articles.cnn.com/2010-01-25/justice/florida.casey.anthony.court_1_george-and-cindy-anthony-caylee-check-fraud?_s=PM:CRIME)

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**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-back-up-re-casey-anthonys-bail/588108/5 "2011-07-07T00:47:39Z")

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Just to correct one misapprehension in the OP, the speedy trial guarantee the state (prosecution) and the court system cannot delay a case beyond a 6-9 month maximum (judged on an individual case-by-case basis, but with those figures as caps). To this can be added any time that is tolled by defense motions, which obviously don’t count against the defense right to a speedy trial.

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**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-back-up-re-casey-anthonys-bail/588108/6 "2011-07-07T00:54:00Z")

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> [@Jinx](#):
>
> …Also, have they said what the jail time is for lying to the cops? Is the media trying to say the penalty is 3 years, so it’s an even-steven swap??? 😕

More or less. She was convicted of 4 counts of lying to the police; the maximum sentence for each count being 1 year. So if the judge decides to give her the maximum sentence _and_ make her serve them consecutively she get’s out in 6 months or so (or sooner depending on how her behavior behind bars has been). She can’t not get credit for time-served; it’s automatic.

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**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoa-back-up-re-casey-anthonys-bail/588108/7 "2011-07-07T00:56:41Z")

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> [@Jinx](#):
>
> Also, have they said what the jail time is for lying to the cops? Is the media trying to say the penalty is 3 years, so it’s an even-steven swap??? 😕

The maximum sentence for those 4 charges would be 4 years, but with time out for good behavior\*, 3 years will almost surely be called time-served with a likely probation.

\*She was invariably described as a model prisoner.
