Massachusetts federal officials have called for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the convicted bomber of the 2013 Boston Marathon, to put forth his $1400 in economic stimulus funding received for COVID-19 and any additional funds in his trust account towards the approximately $101 million owed to his victims.
Nathaniel R. Mendell, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, filed the motion on Wednesday in an urge to the court to mandate that the Bureau of Prisons transfer all funds from the inmate’s trust account towards outstanding penalties including restitution and special assessment.
Shockingly, records demonstrate that Tsarnaev, a man currently held in captivity at a maximum-security prison based in Florence, Colorado, has in fact received more than $21,000 during his time in jail. Many of the deposits were issued by the New York Office of Federal Defenders which put in just over $11,000 between May 2016 and June 2021. These donations were issued by 35 people comprised from Maryland, Indiana, New Jersey, and the United States government who delivered a $1,400 check for COVID relief on June 22.
In the aftermath of the 2015 trial that took place, Tsarnaev was required to pay a figure of $101,126,167 in restitution as well as a $3,000 fee. As of the start of the New Year, payments on his behalf only amounted to $2,202.03 towards the aforementioned fee and not towards any victims according to federal statutes.
The criminal was convicted of more than 2 dozen charges in relation to a bombing that occurred at the 2013 Boston Marathon finish line. This explosion resulted in the death of 3 and the injury of over 260, with 17 of those hurt losing at least a single limb as part of the attack. Tsarnaev and his brother subsequently led law enforcement on a chase spanning several days during which Sean Collier, a police officer with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was shot and murdered. Tamerlan, the brother, was killed in the pursuit.
Despite the fact that the inmate is permitted to use the money for books, clothes, and other items in jail, the rest should be directed straight towards payments for victims, according to prosecutors. Furthermore, they stated that he should be held legally accountable for noting the amount of money he received.
“By Congressional mandate, the United States has a statutory duty to collect restitution owed to crime victims. The United States submits that the requested relief is reasonable and appropriate in this instance–especially in light of the Defendant prioritizing payments to his siblings over the victims of his crimes.” – Prosecution
Following conviction, the court issued a death penalty, and yet it was overturned 2 years ago after a ruling that the trial judge excluded certain evidence in err. Although it was not explained how a COVID-19 relief payment made it to his cell, an appeal to reinstate the original death sentence has been put forth to the United States Supreme Court.