Former neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman received over $200,000 in donations to his website, it was revealed Thursday. But Zimmerman failed to disclose the donations to the judge during his bond hearing.
Zimmerman’s attorney, Mark O’Mara, revealed the donations to CNN’s Anderson Cooper Thursday night. Now the judge presiding over the case has issued a gag order on O’Mara.
Zimmerman, 28, is charged with 2nd degree murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida.
Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda also wasn’t aware of the donations until Thursday night. He asked Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. to increase Zimmerman’s $150,000 bond. But the judge has delayed his ruling, saying he does not have jurisdiction over the funds.
Judge Lester is also concerned about revealing the names of the donors. “I’m not going to make a snap decision,” Lester said.
During Zimmerman’s bond hearing, O’Mara insisted his client was broke and unable to find work due to his notoriety.
O’Mara said Zimmerman revealed the existence of the donations to him only after he was released from a Seminole County jail in Sanford, Florida this week.
O’Mara said that he honestly believed Zimmerman had no money — despite the fact that O’Mara is a former news contributor who was surely aware of Zimmerman’s public website.
O’Mara said that, as of Friday, $150,000 of that money remained in a trust fund set up by him.
“I’ve had dozens, hundreds actually, of people wanting to donate,” he said.
“You can really go through a lot of money on a case like this, with the intensity of it,” he said.
