White supremacist who killed protester in Charlottesville could have his prison pocket money seized
James Alex Fields Jr has paid only tiny fraction of $81,600 he owes, prosecutors say
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Money contributed to a white supremacist who rammed his car into protesters demonstrating against the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville is under the scanner of the Department of Justice.
The DOJ is seeking to seize money contributed to James Alex Fields Jr, who drove his car into counter-protesters and ended up killing 32-year-old Charlottesville civil rights activist Heather Heyer and injuring dozens of others.
Now court filings have revealed that federal prosecutors told the US District Court for the Western District of Virginia in December that Fields Jr had a total of $759.86 in his “inmate trust account”.
CBS News reported that the white supremacist protested the motion last month and the court set a Tuesday deadline for the government to respond.
“In their December filing, prosecutors told the court that Fields has paid off only a tiny fraction of the $81,600 he owes in restitution and fines in his case. They said he continues to collect money by receiving transfers from ‘various individuals’ whose names and identities are sealed,” stated the court filing.
“The US Attorney’s Office in Charlottesville recently was informed that the defendant currently maintains substantial funds in his inmate trust account maintained by the [Bureau of Prisons],” wrote the prosecutors.
They requested the court to order that at least $650 from Fields’s inmate account be transferred to pay down the fine and restitution balance he owes, the court filing reveals.
Fields Jr pleaded guilty to 29 of 30 hate crime charges in March 2019 in a plea deal to avoid the death penalty for murdering Heyer.
At the time of his sentencing, Heyer’s mother Susan Bro said she wanted Fields Jr to spend the rest of his life in prison, but also hoped he “can heal someday and help others heal”.
The Ohio man rammed his car into a group protesting against white nationalists in Virginia. In December 2018, Fields Jr was convicted of first-degree murder and multiple other charges.
In July 2019, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.