- Lawrence Knox, 36, swore he was broke during an October 5 hearing after pleading guilty to a cocaine possession charge in Franklin County, Ohio
- When deputies took Knox to be processed for his six-year prison sentence they found he had $4,060 on him
- The judge reacted by giving Knox the maximum fine of $20,000 plus court costs
An Ohio defendant who vowed he was penniless and couldn’t pay a fine now faces a big one after deputies escorting him from court found he had over $4,000 in his pockets.
Lawrence Knox, 36, swore he was broke during an October 5 hearing after pleading guilty to a cocaine possession charge with a gun specification in Franklin County court.
After Knox handed over an affidavit that he was broke, the judge Richard Frye asked a few questions to confirm the claim.
He even jokingly asked if Knox had any cash stashed in a mattress.
When deputies took Knox to be processed for his six-year prison sentence they found he had $4,060 on him.
Lawrence Knox, 36, swore he was broke during an October 5 hearing after pleading guilty to a cocaine possession charge with a gun specification in Franklin County court. When deputies took him to processing they found $4,000 on his person
The judge reacted by giving Knox the maximum fine of $20,000, plus court costs.
He ordered that $2,000 of the cash found on Knox be given to his defense attorney, Michael Hayes, who’d been on legal fees.
The remaining $2,060 will be applied to Knox’s fine.
‘You can’t make this stuff up,’ Frye said afterward.