There are serious consequences for lying to investigators, and law enforcement personnel during the course of an investigation. Although ultimately you may not be charged with a crime, if your false statements have led investigators on a wild goose chase you could be liable for the costs of that chase. Casey Anthony, as most people know, was acquitted of murder of her young daughter. However, because Ms. Anthony made false statements to investigators, who subsequently invested a lot of time, money, and manpower into the search for Cayley Anthony. Although Ms. Anthony was acquitted of murder, she was convicted of four misdemeanor counts of making false statements to investigators. Prosecutors have requested that Anthony pay more than $500,000.00, however the Defense team has argued that this sum is extraordinarily high. On September 15, 2011, a Florida judge ordered that Casey Anthony pay the sum of $97,000.00 to Florida law enforcement agencies to recover the costs of searching for her missing daughter, who was later found deceased. Although the judge did not order the full amount that Prosecutors were requesting, the Florida Judge reserved the right to increase the $97,000.00 penalty once the State submits more detailed expense reports. The lesson? Always be as truthful as possible with law enforcement agencies pursuing an active investigation, because if you are not, you may be subject to not only misdemeanor charges, but a large amount of monetary damages.

Cordially,

Meghan E. George, Esq.

HARTNETT LAW GROUP