I, thank heavens, don't know how this works. I'm confused.
I thought bail was paid upon release to compel return of the charged person to court, i.e. to prevent flight. All $400,000 is tied up as long as the charges are unresolved. I thought it was all refundable even if the charged person is eventually convicted as long as the charged person made his/her court dates. I thought that the majority of the $400,000 was paid by a family friend. Surely that friend (unlike a bail bondsman) wouldn' be charging the accused a 10% premium. What am I missing?
If they put up $400,000 in cash for the bail, they get it all back. But if they bought a bail bond, which is what most people do, they pay a premium of 10%, and that money is gone forever. It's what the bailbondsman gets for his risk in bonding the $400,000, which will be lost to him if the accused skips out.
I'm not aware of how they got the bond money put up, and I may have assumed they bought a bond when they didn't. If either they or someone else put up 400 grand, there is no 10% premium.
You have to take into account that bail money tied up is still money lost. You could be making a lot of money off of that $400K.
I read all three paid the $400,000 by certified check.