advertisement

Bill for Blago jury? $67,463.32

Estimates about the total cost of the just concluded trial of ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich range wildly from several million to $30 million.

There's now at least confirmation of what the jury cost for nearly two months of trial and 14 days of deliberation. The bill? $67,463.32.

The U.S. District Court clerk's office provided that figure Thursday.

Jurors returned a sole guilty verdict -- lying to the FBI. They deadlocked on 23 counts.

The jurors' bill includes costs for food and travel. And it includes pay. Jurors got $40 a day the first month, then $50 after that.

Prosecutors don't calculate costs of individual cases, so the trial's full cost may never be known. But prosecutors plan to retry Blagojevich on undecided counts, so that tab may have to be paid again.