Trayvon Martin

George Zimmerman fund raises $1,000 daily

 

frobles@MiamiHerald.com

George Zimmerman’s new professionally administered legal defense fund has raised more than $1,000 a day in the two weeks it has been online, his lawyer announced Thursday.

Attorney Mark O’Mara established an account for Zimmerman — accessible on www.gzdefensefund.com — which has raised $15,424 so far. Almost $4,000 of that came from checks and money orders, he said.

“The largest donation received was $3,000, then $2,000 and the lowest was one dollar,” a statement posted on his website said. “Most donate between $25 and $100, and many include notes of support for Mr. Zimmerman and his family.”

Zimmerman’s father stressed to The Miami Herald this week that the donations have not gone to the family. He, his wife and mother-in-law are jumping from hotel to hotel, which they pay out of their own pocket, he said.

The new fund went online May 3, shortly after O’Mara asked Zimmerman to take down another PayPal account, which had raised about $204,000, and had not accounting or supervision.

For the first time, O’Mara offered a rough break down of how that money was spent.

According to the statement:

“About $30,000 from the initial fund was spent “making Mr. Zimmerman’s complicated transition from a private life in Sanford, FL to his new life in hiding as the defendant in a high-profile case.

Approximately $20,000 has been kept liquid to fund Mr. Zimmerman’s living expenses for the next several months. None of the funds have yet been allocated for legal fees or defense costs; however it is expected for some of the funds to be used for this purpose in the near future.”

Zimmerman faces a charge of second-degree murder for the killing of Miami Gardens teenager Trayvon Martin.

Donors who expressed support on the attorney’s Facebook page said they have contributed to the fund to help Zimmerman, who they feel was unfairly presumed guilty by the media.

O’Mara initially planned to take the case on a pro bono basis, but changed his mind when he learned of the avalanche of gifts from the public.

Read more Trayvon Martin stories from the Miami Herald

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