A federal magistrate judge has ruled that Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price is, in fact, indigent enough that taxpayers should pay for a sizable portion of his defense, as faces federal corruption charges for allegedly taking almost $1 million in bribes.
Earlier today, Price filed the requested financial disclosure in U.S. District Court, and Judge Renee Toliver granted his request and appointed Shirley Baccus-Lobel to Price's defense team. As ordered by the court, Price will pay a minimum of $80,000 for his defense, $20,000 upfront and $10,000 every two months thereafter. Price will also pay $500 a month in attorney's fees until the end of his trial, which is scheduled to begin in January 2016.
That $80,000 is a substantial discount over what an unsubsidized defense would cost in a case as complex as Price's -- a defense attorney we talked to in January estimated the tab could run at least $1 million.
See also: John Wiley Price Wants the Government to Pay for His Lawyer. That's not as Crazy as It Sounds.
Price earns more than $141,000 as a commissioner and owns multiple cars and two houses in Oak Cliff.
